January/

February 2015

Issue 59

celebrating
your big day
We join a top chef at his wedding
and bring you tips for yours...

never
forget

Campaign launches to help us

remember the Welsh Tommies

good for
the soul

The healing power of music

fashion| homes | business | and much more

Complimentary Copy

contents
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60
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82

spread the love

Its all about hearts on Valentines Day
County news
Pull your socks up
Great styles of keeping your toes cosy
start the new year in style
Men get your wardrobe up to date
Meander and life in the county
The latest musings of Nigel Jarrett and
Mark Roberts, of Roberts & Co
never forget those heroes
Launch of campaign to remember the
Welsh Tommies
out with the hounds
We spend time with Woolaston Bassett
Hounds
sooth your soul
The healing power of music
County business news
In the baby business
We catch up with Ffion Currie, of
Boulou Babes
bringing up baby
We have some fab ideas for baby
shower gifts
out in the mountains
Will Loram shares his love of the
Beacons
County food
Six pages of news, reviews and recipes
County wedding
Make your day go with a swing
real life wedding
Chris and Kirsty Harrod, of The Crown
at Whitebrook, tie the knot
hit the road
David Barnes and family embark on a
two-week road trip around Europe
out and about
County homes
12 pages of homes and interiors from
around Monmouthshire
hidden gems
County history with Naylor Firth

Contacts

editor: Jo Barnes
Contact: 01633 777240
e-mail: jo.barnes@gwent-wales.co.uk
design: Katie Adams, Darren James
advertising: Alia Sarsam
Contact: 01633 777285
Web: www.monmouthshirecountylife.co.uk
twitter: @MCLmagazine
Facebook: bit.ly/MCLonfacebook
Cover: Image by Zoe Christou Welsh feautirng
11-year-old Cwmbran model Zoe Bridges at
Tintern Abbey

Published by: Newsquest, Wales and Gloucestershire, Cardiff Road,

Maesglas, Newport, South Wales, NP20 3QN

Key ring. 12.50.

www.annabeljames.co.uk

d
a
e
r
p
s
o
t
e
Tim
a little love
around the
t
s
ju
is
y
a
D
s
Valentine
you buy that
l
il
w
ift
g
t
a
h
corner. W
l?
someone specia

Cookie cutters.
4.99. www.oakroomshop.co.uk

Egg press. 4.99.

www.hintonshome.com

Tin. 4.
www.onebrowncow.co.uk
6

Wooden candle
stick. 14.99. www.
retreat-home.com

Frame. 15.99.
www.retreat-home.com

Card 2.50 (+1 P&P)

etsy.com
/shop/thequickcyanfox
facebook.com/
thequickcyanfox

Tea towel. 12.

www.jangens.com

Countynews
Coding project gets a funding boost
Chepstow Library has been awarded a share of 70,000
worth of funding to promote its new coding project.
The library will be awarded between 10,000 and
15,000 from the Carnegie UK Trust to help promote its
project The Ideas Garage.
The project will create a community-led coding space for
young people aged 11 to 17 to help them gain experience
in coding to create and develop websites.
The library was one of seven selected from across the
UK and Ireland to benefit from the funds, which form part

of the Carnegie UK Trusts Library Lab project.

Claire Lewis, a business support officer at Chepstow
Library, said: The Ideas Garage will be a space to allow
young people to learn more about coding and build their
own websites. Our aim is for it to evolve into a maker/
hacker space where we can introduce 3D printing and
have a digital fabrication lab. We intend to collaborate with
Coderdojo, a company that offers free coding clubs for
young people.

African teacher
comes to town
A Malawi headteacher visited the Dell
Primary School in Chepstow to talk to pupils
and thank them for their fundraising efforts.
The Chepstow primary has for the past
two years been a partner school to Yankho
Elementary School in Lilongwe and has
raised money for two pupils from the south
east African country to be able to attend
school.
Austin Assan (above), the headteacher of
Yankho Elementary, came to Chepstow to
address the assembly and talk to the pupils.
Stephen King, headteacher at the Dell,
said: There was a lovely buzz around the
school last week. Everywhere Mr Assad
went he was bombarded with questions
from the pupils which was great.
We are very aware that Children
here in Chepstow could easily stay in the
Monmouthshire bubble but as a school
we wanted to give them the opportunity
to experience the wider world and for
them to be able to speak to someone from
southeast Africa.

Town tapestry
reaches completion
I

t has taken volunteers hundreds of hours and more than

five years to bring to life, but now, the Usk Tapestry
Project is finally complete.
The initiative began as a vision of the late Margaret
Turner, a talented needle-crafter whose idea was to capture
the beauty of Usk and its countryside.
Sadly, she died before the design was first unveiled. But
16 volunteers, led by the Usk Tapestry Committee, used
their needlework skills to complete the vibrant work, which
measures 9ft 6in by 6ft.
The design, by Llangybi artist Susie Martin, features the
towns river, castle and a variety of wildlife.
The volunteers, pictures above, worked under the
guidance of Sarah Windrum, who acted as stitching
supervisor.

MonMouth sChool
announCes the
aPPoIntMent oF a
neW headMaster

MonMouth
FIlM CoMPany
WIns baFta
CyMru
A Monmouth-based film production company
has won a British Academy of Film and
Television Arts Cymru award.
The Portrait, produced by Eclectic Films
in collaboration with Dublin-based Blinder
Films, received the short form and animation
award-sponsored by High Performance
Computing at an awards ceremony in Wales
Millennium Centre, Cardiff.
The company has a handful of awards to
its name for the internationally acclaimed film
The Orchard which include the 2014 Van
Gogh Best Feature Film Screenplay gong.
The Portraitwas written by Ewan Forster
and produced by Clive Myer, Lynda MyerBennett and Katie Holly. It was also selected
for production by the British Film Institute
as one of the first films in its new BFI Shorts
Scheme.

dr andrew daniels

D
The film stars Juliet Stephenson, Joss Ackland
and Neil Pearson, and tells the story of a family torn apart
by the grandfathers involvement in the Nazi Hadamar
extermination camp. It examines complex dilemmas within
three generations of one family.
Chris Forster, director of The Portrait, pictured, said:
On behalf of everyone involved in the making of The
Portrait we are absolutely thrilled that the film has won a
BAFTA Cymru award.
Eclectic Films was set up by Clive Myer and Lynda MyerBennett to produce and distribute film and video work of a
distinctive and innovative nature reflecting the artistic and
aesthetic merits of a more European cinematic culture and
this award is tribute to their success.

r Andrew Daniel is set to become the 37th

headmaster at Monmouth School.
Dr Daniels has been appointed by the Governors of
the Haberdashers Monmouth Schools.
He is succeeding Dr Steven Connors and will take up
the post in September 2015.
Dr Daniel is currently senior deputy head at
Wellington School, Somerset, a co-educational day and
boarding school for pupils aged two to 18.
Sheridan Swallow, chairman of the governors, said:
Andrew Daniel is ideally equipped to build on the
strong foundations put in place by Dr Steven Connors
during his ten years in post. He is joining us at an exciting
time as we celebrate the schools 400th anniversary and
the achievements of our pupils, both in and out of the
classroom. We greatly look forward to welcoming him
to Monmouth School, together with his wife, Alison, and
their young family.

Follow us on Twitter: @mclmagazine

8

Countynews
Abergavenny cycling organiser
receives highest award
Abergavenny Festival of Cycling
organiser Bill Owen, pictured, has
received one of the highest honours his
sport can award the British Cycling
Gold Badge of Honour.
Owen stood down from the Board
of Directors at British Cycling having
served 13 years on the board and, in
that time, brought some of the biggest
races and events to Wales.
Owen is the only Welshman to have
been decorated with the Gold Badge
of Honour and also received a jersey
personally signed by Tour de France
champion and Olympic gold medalist
Sir Bradley Wiggins.
His dedication to the sport in
Wales saw him serve as chairman and
President of Welsh Cycling for more
than 20 years. He was elected to the
British Cycling Board in 2001, having
also served on the British Cycling
Professional Racing Committee and the
British Cycling executive committee in
the 1990s..
Owen was a founding member of
both Abergavenny Cycling Clubs
Abergavenny RC and CC Abergavenny
- and began promoting grassroots and
professional races in 1985.
The GP of Wales is one of many
events that are part of the Abergavenny
Festival of Cycling, which Owen
launched in 2007.
Since being elected to the Board,
Owen has brought the British Cycling
National Road Championships to
Wales an astonishing five times, the
last of which was this summer when
around 40,000 people crammed into
Monmouthshire in June to see both the

Museums Service
wins funding for an
exciting new Scheme
E

National Time Trial Championships and the National

Road Race Championships for both men and women
He also brought a Womens World Cup to
Wales, which was won by Welsh rider Nicole
Cooke, plus an international road race event.
Owen was also, ten years ago, heavily involved
and influential in the bid to bring one of only two
international-standard indoor velodromes to the UK
the other being the 2002 Commonwealth Games
velodrome in Manchester.
And he continues with organising the
Abergavenny Festival of Cycling where he is in the
final stages of planning for next years event that
will feature town centre circuit races in Chepstow
and Abergavenny plus the popular Iron Mountain
Sportif, the mass participation event.
He said: I am very pleased and honoured to
receive the award from British Cycling, and that
Wales has been recognised for the work it puts in to
promoting and supporting cycling, from grassroots
through to elite events.

MONMOUTH RAFT RACE

RAISES 39,500 FOR CHARITY
THE 49th annual Monmouth Raft Race,
organised by Monmouth Rotary Club, raised
the staggering sum of 39,500 for charity.
The principal beneficiary of the 2014
event, which saw a record number of crafts
enter the water at Monmouth, was St Davids
Hospice Care. The Newport-based hospiceat-home charity was presented with a cheque
for 25,848 75 per cent of the total raised
by Monmouth Rotary Club president, Bob
Handley.
The total raised was boosted further when
DHL, which entered 23 rafts, unexpectedly
added a further, match-funded cheque for
5,000 to the pot bringing the total donated to
St Davids Hospice Care to 30,848.
The remainder of the money raised goes
to other local charitable causes supported by
Monmouth Rotary Club.

This years race was sponsored by DHL,

Basepoint and Mandarin Stone.
Mr Handley said: Were delighted that the
2014 raft race was such a huge success. We
raised a record amount of money and saw a
record number of rafts entered into the event.
Were thrilled to have been able to donate
30,848 to St Davids Hospice Care to help
them to continue to provide vital services to
those with life threatening illnesses, in their
homes throughout the community.
John Cullimore, the owner of Tump Farm,
Whitebrook, which each year provides acres of
his land for River Wye rafts to come ashore and
for a family fun day to be staged, also attended.
Emma Saysell, chief executive of St Davids
Hospice Care, said: We continue to be
amazed at the exceptional support we receive
from the Rotary Club of Monmouth and the

arlier this year, Monmouthshire County Councils

Museum Service received a grant of 23,500 from
the Heritage Lottery Fund to set up and launch the
Monmouthshire Museums Supporters Scheme.
The aim of the scheme is to help to raise much needed
funds for the museums run by the countys Museums
Service in Chepstow, Abergavenny and Monmouth, as well
as helping to encourage closer working with the community.
The Supporters Scheme is now fully up and running.
The scheme offers a wide range of benefits in thanks
for a regular donation towards the work of the Museums
Service. They include a special quarterly e-newsletter,
discount in the museum shops and invitations to special
events and viewings.
You can pick up an application form in any of the 3
museums or request one to be sent to you by emailing
supportmuseums@monmouthshire.gov.uk .
Joanne Terry, museums fundraising officer said: We are
thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery
Fund and are confident that the project will help us to build
stronger relationships with our community. Weve been
delighted with the response to the Scheme so far. Many
people understand our need to fundraise and have been
very generous with their support. We hope that they enjoy
the benefits and look forward to seeing them regularly at
our museums!

Pulling together: emma saysell, chief executive of st davids hospice

Care and bob handley, president of Monmouth rotary Club ( both at
front), with a raft and supporters

phenomenal amount of money raised by this wonderful organisation

year on year.
The 2015 raft race takes place on Sunday, September 6 and will
once more be raising funds for St Davids Hospice Care.
Monmouth Raft Race co-ordinator, Rotarian Norman Williams,
said: This year we reached our 100 raft target but for 2015, which
will mark the 50th staging of the race, we hope to increase that
number again and have also set ourselves the goal of raising in excess
of 50,000 for charity.
Norman said: We thoroughly enjoy working with St Davids
Hospice Care. Not only do they provide invaluable support in the
community but they also help with the organisation and running of the
raft race.
Entry costs 75 per raft including a commitment to raise a
minimum of 100 in sponsorship.
For full details about the 2015 raft race, including online or postal
entries, visit www.monmouthraftrace.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @mclmagazine

9

Sock it
to me

Keep your toes cosy this winter

with these fantastic socks...

8
7

1. rabit socks. 22.50.

www.cotswoldtrading.com
2. alpaca socks. 35.
dubarry of ireland
3. buster dog socks. 4. oliver bonas
4. anchor socks. 11.
www.thenauticalcompany.com
5. fur lined socks. 29. mint Velvet
6. stripe socks. 3.50. accessorize
7. Fairisle socks. 6. Whitestu
8. diamond socks.
2. Tiger stores

Longsleeved
button down
12, burton

NEW
YEAR, NEW
WARDROBE
Going back to the basics By Josh Knapman

ralph
Lauren pack
of two 14.99,
getthelabel.
com

Socks In
A Box
17.50,
White Stu
14

short-sleeve
crew necks
17.50,
m&s

cable-knit
cardigan
99.95,
Lands end

cable-knit
jumper
35,
burton

dark brown
cords 99,
jaeger.co.uk

brown suede
desert boots
45, mantaray
at debenhams

hen it comes to restocking

your wardrobe with all the
essentials, theres no better
time than the start of the new year.
Most of the shops will be holding
sales, and the essentials are always
available in stores, without ever really
going off-trend.
Getting the basics right can help to
make putting an outfit together a lot
easier when it comes to dressing for lastminute events, or just generally keeping
your casual look stylish.
Since were looking at basics, where
better to start than socks? Youve
probably received lots of pairs as
Christmas gifts, and theyre probably all
novelty.
As fun as novelty socks might be, they
dont always help an outfit, especially
when trousers reveal a little bit of
ankle. To remedy this, pick out bolder
colours, (greys, blues and burgundies
are everywhere at the moment) and
either stick to striped, spotted or plain
socks. Socks In A Box (17.50, White
Stuff) have all the styles and colours
mentioned, conveniently all in one box.
Another good option is the Ralph Lauren
pack of two (14.99, getthelabel.com)
in a similar design and colour scheme.
One item central to most ensembles is
the t-shirt.
The most versatile of these tend to be
plain, short-sleeve crew necks (17.50,
Marks and Spencer). Make sure you
have a few of these, in a variety of
colours but try to avoid the bright, bold
ones as the darker, more-faded colours
will work with more outfits.
Alternatively, for a twist on the classic
crew neck, go for a plain t-shirt with an
added pocket (5, Burton). Another
good type of t-shirt to have ready in
your wardrobe is a long-sleeved button
down (12, Burton). With the t-shirts, a
few of each in different colours should
boost your basics collection.
As most people will already own
multiple pairs of jeans, investing in a
different type of trousers will enhance
your wardrobe.
One option is a pair of dark brown
cords (99, jaeger.co.uk). They have
slowly been creeping back into the
world of fashion lately and are a good
alternative to an old, faded pair of
jeans.
Another staple for any mans
wardrobe is a white shirt. Whether it is
worn casually or formally, it is definitely
an essential item. Choose one with
either darker or detailed buttons to add
a subtle twist to this classic shirt (20,
Burton).
As it is still cold-weather season a
cable-knit jumper (35, Burton) or
cable-knit cardigan (99.95, Lands
End) wouldnt go amiss in your new
wardrobe, either.
Finish your list of essentials with
shoes. A good pair of shoes that can be
worn with most outfits is what is really
needed. Brown suede desert boots
(45, Mantaray at Debenhams) are a
solid choice, as they look good and are
diverse to use with most styles.
15

A Monmouthshire
meander with Nigel Jarrett
Continuity triumphs over nostalgia as I move
house from a place in Chepstow to a place
in Abergavenny. (Excuse the vagueness, but
there are some weird people about.)
Meandering in Monmouthshire literally
along country lanes, towns and mountain
tops or mentally by thinking stray thoughts
on this and that is not so much a result of
cultural and geographical similarities as a
feeling of being at home anywhere in the
county.
I cant remember the first time I visited
Abergavenny market the indoor one with
all the stalls except to note that it always
appeared to coincide with the livestock one,
now departed to some neutral location of
interest only to those who buy and sell farm
animals.
Visiting Kirkby Lonsdale in Cumbria for
family reasons during the last three years
Ive watched a vast acreage of sheds and
pens being built next to the M6 near Kendal.
Its been another case of moving a weekly
gathering of Ambridge folk out of town.
Like Abergavenny, Kendal is no longer
chokka every seven days with begrimed
Land Rovers and trailers, nor do its pubs
bristle with conversations about foot rot and
European subsidies.
The result, if we
bypass a series of
triggered happenings, is
that agricultural produce
is more efficiently
exchanged and, in
theory, the foodstuffs
resulting therefrom are
not as expensive as they
might have been.
This always seemed
illogical and fanciful to
me, and the switch of
scene appeared to be
more to do with the
convenience of farmers
and auctioneers. But
perhaps that amounts to the same thing.
In any case, the term farmers market
now means an operation, small or sizeable,
in which the farmers family and fringe
stallholders sell their produce and the
famers themselves ply customers with
vacuum-packed cuts of beef, veal and
venison from their own herds.
Thats what happens at Orton, in old
Westmorland, once voted the best farmers
market of its kind in the UK. I got round it
in a trice, even taking in a stall selling potted

18

herb plants from Tuscany. Stretching the

definition a bit, I thought, especially as not
a tithe of the local farmers ever put in an
appearance.
Many of these village produce marts
are all that remain of a time when farmers
arrived in huge numbers to buy and sell
stock. Abergavennys is not only large and
thriving but the market hall itself is occupied
most weekdays by a variety of sellers.
Its the classic fringe event, long severed
from the proper business of marketing but
healthy enough to survive when its reason
for existence has been transplanted.
It accounts for that guy selling herbs
from Italy below a windswept Orton Scar
and the appearance at Abergavenny of
stallholder and retired miner Ray Lawrence,
who has researched and written a series of
monographs on the South Wales coalfield.
They include one on the now-defunct
workings at Cwmbran, where both my
grandfathers were employed.
Naturally, I bought it, as it connected to
the time those fibrous sons of toil showed
me, a ten-year-old, the entrance to the
tunnel where they began their daily threemile march to the coalface. Three miles! I
never doubted it.
Theirs was an adit mine,
approached from the flanks
rather than by means of a
long-drop shaft. It was my
grandfathers also who first
took me to Abergavenny
market along what was then
a meandering cross-country
trail. Perhaps they saw in
those leather-gaitered Gwent
farmers a tribe of workers not
dissimilar to themselves.
But mentioning them is not
an extension of meandering
but the completion of a circle.
Both grandfathers were
serious amateur gardeners (not
so amateur in the General Strike) and the
maternal one raised chickens in his backyard
on what appeared to me at the time as a
mini-industrial scale. Their ancestors had
come from rural labouring stock.
So they would have had a more than
passing interest in what was happening
at Abergavenny on market day. By the
time they took me there, of course, the
Cwmbran workings were already sealed off
and their associated ground-level buildings
all of a crumble.

MyCountyLife
Estate agent Mark Roberts chats to
MCL about Tintern Abbey, Billy
Connolly and Usk Show...
Who are you and what do you
do?
I am Mark Roberts, managing
director of Roberts & Co Estate
Agents, which incorporates
Roberts & Co Lettings and The
Town & Country Collection. I live
just outside Raglan.
What do you like most about
living in Monmouthshire?
It is unashamedly and solidly
rural but easily accessible to the
country, towns and cities.
Where would you recommend
as an unforgettable dining
experience in Monmouthshire?
The Carpenters Arms, Coed
y Paen. Its a traditional, warm,
welcoming inn which keeps
a good pint and serves great,
wholesome, honest-to-goodness
country food.
What do you tell friends about
Monmouthshire who have
never been here?
The homes that we have here in
Monmouthshire are equivalent
to any that they have just across
the border but we also have
the most marvellous views. We
have more castles, admittedly
in a variety of states of repair,
than anywhere else. We have
Tintern Abbey, the River Usk
and Wye salmon rivers, were
steeped in history and we have
mile upon mile of unspoilt rolling
countryside, woods, forests and
hills to explore as well as brilliant
golf if thats what you like and
Chepstow Racecourse too!
Who would be your ideal
companion on a trip round
Monmouthshire?
Billy Connolly. He is a really
intriguing guy. His comedy is
often surreal but he is nonetheless
a fascinating man. Id love to show
him around Monmouthshire and
get his take on what he sees and

experiences along the way.

Favourite town in
Monmouthshire?
Abergavenny - I think because of
its position and views from this
wonderful, ancient town and,
of course, its historic links to
livestock and the superb annual
Abergaveny Food Festival.
Favourite place for a walk?
The Skirrid. Its a bracing walk at
any time of the year but especially
in the winter. Its one my family
and I, including our two Springer
spaniels, Charlie and Murphy,
just love.
Favourite place for a picnic?
Raglan Castle. Its a brilliantly
preserved castle which is the
perfect backdrop to a picnic
with family and friends. Its not
far from civilisation but you can
really lose yourself in its history
wandering around its lawns,
ramparts, walls, turrets and
embankments.
If you werent living here,
where would you be?
I have strong links to Somerset.
The countryside and atmosphere
are very similar.
What event in the
Monmouthshire calendar
should we try not to miss?
Usk Show. Its a lovely day out
no matter what the weather.
Its sociable, welcoming and you
always meet up with friends,
people you know, people you
have done business with and are
looking to meet and perhaps to
do business with in the future. It
must one of the biggest shows
of its type in Monmouthshire
these days and gets better, more
exciting and interesting every
year.
Three words which sum up
Monmouthshire for you...
Welcoming, friendly, home

Teaching an old dog

new tricks
By Jason Smith, consultant with Bikeaction

eventy! I double checked my

calculations for the clients
date of birth. Seventy again!
This couldnt be right. I dropped
the client an e-mail. Seventy came
the reply. Right, better make sure
we had a support car ready.
Incredibly, Mike was aged
70 and he wanted to learn
about training using a heart rate
monitor, improve his climbing
technique and get some general
tips. Hed booked a weekend
coaching session with me to
explore the Brecon Beacons one
day and ride the quiet lanes of
north Monmouthshire the next.
We would be joined by his sonin-law.
The two days riding was
unquestionably among the most
inspirational Ive ever done.
For day one, Id planned a
very demanding 55-mile loop
which included climbing the
Storey Arms from Brecon and
after a descent from Penderyn to
Glyneath, climbing through the
tranquil Ystradfelte valley back
towards Brecon.
Some of the climbs would,
indeed, have tested guys some
30 years younger than Mike. Any
doubts Id had about whether
hed be riding in the support car
were quickly dispelled on the 15
per cent ramp out of Glyneath.
Day two was a shorter day
only 45 miles but was no less
demanding in terms of climbing.
Taking the old Ross road from
Abergavenny, we headed for
Monmouth. After a quick lunch in
Monmouth, we were climbing on
the old Hereford road, and again
up to Grosmont.
Over the two days Mike had
cycled 100 miles and climbed
approximately 2,500 metres.

Mike had only been cycling for

three years.
Hed suffered pancreatic
cancer three years earlier which
had taken a heavy toll. At the end
of his recovery, a cycle track had
been opened to his local town
from almost outside his front
door. He decided to buy a bike
and try to recover some fitness
by cycling to the local town and
back.
He then discovered there
was a local 100-mile sportive.
That provided the challenge to
do more cycling and he set about
training to complete the 100
miles.
By this time, hed graduated
from his hybrid to a road bike
and had joined up with a bunch of
other septuagenarian cyclists.
Not content with completing
the 100 miles, Mike returned
for another crack this year to
complete it in a faster time (which
he achieved).
By this time, cycling had really
taken hold and hed invested in
a stealth-like super-light carbon
road bike. At 70 he was the
fittest hed ever been in his life!
As if Mikes backstory wasnt
inspirational enough, I couldnt
help but admire the rigour in
which he absorbed coaching and
set about applying the techniques
almost immediately. His thirst
for more knowledge was
unquenchable. It was as if hed
reached a point in his life where
he knew time was extremely
precious and he wasnt going to
waste a moment.
They say you cant teach an
old dog new tricks. Rubbish!
Age is no barrier to improving
fitness and learning new things, so
dont waste time go for it!

NEVER FORGET YOUR

WELSH HEROES
When it came to the First World War, Wales
was punching well above its weight. With Lloyd
George eager to show Wales at its patriotic best,
the Principality contributed the largest number
of men to the Services on a basis of percentage
of population, than any other country in the
Empire...
By Caio Iwan

ow, 100 years after the start

of the Great War, a campaign
has been launched to encourage
Welsh families to unearth their
ancestors wartime memorabilia as
part of a new unique archive.
Never Forget Your Welsh Heroes
aims to get everyone in Wales, and
everyone across the world whose
Welsh ancestors fought in the First
World War, to search their family
papers and to help educate the people
of today, and keep alive the memory of
those who sacrificed their lives during

20

the conflict 100 years ago.

The campaign was launched in the
grounds of Cardiff Castle, but was
inspired by a song written by Caldicot
band Rusty Shackle entitled Tommys
Letter.
The band, which takes its inspiration
from folk music, performed the song in
front of guests which included Welsh
deputy minister for culture, sport and
tourism Ken Skates AM at the aptlynamed Firing Line Museum located
underneath Cardiff Castle.
All proceeds from the single will go

World War transformed Wales in many ways.

I wish the campaign every success and I look
forward to looking at the personal testimonies
that come forward.
Colonel Lance Patterson, Deputy
Commander 160 (Wales) Infantry Brigade
and HQ Wales representative, said: It is
great to reflect and recollect as soldiers what
generations before us did and how much they
suffered in terms of conflict.
It forms an unbroken line between us and
them.
The campaign is also seeking to raise money
towards helping veteran Welsh soldiers and
their families through the Army Benevolent
Fund.
It also aims to preserve the memories of
soldiers, many of who originate from Gwent,
which are displayed at the new facilities at The
Royal Welsh Regimental Museum, located in
Brecon.
The campaign wants everyone to look for a

Tommys Letter. To find their own family hero.

And then for a family member to read it for a
video they can upload to You Tube, scan it, or
just old fashioned copy and post it, so NEVER
FORGET YOUR WELSH HEROES can archive it
at The Royal Welsh Regimental Museum, www.
royalwelsh.org.uk for future generations, family
history, and as an educational resource.
Mr Loram said: We are looking at the
potential of thousands of wild flowers
blooming with human stories that will
move the heart, and give a richer
insight into the Great War. This
unique mosaic of Tommys Letters
will give us all a new view of the
war and what it was like to be
caught up in it.
It is hoped the campaign
will unearth hidden
treasures of heroism,
and to celebrate their
lives and sacrifice.

old pictures. left: a welcome home reception in tidenham to men returning from the First World War
below: staff and patients at gwy house, Chepstow, which became a red Cross hospital in 1915
both from Chepstow and the river Wye in old Photographs from the collections of Chepstow Museum

Caldicot band rusty shackle

perform their new single
tommys letter at the lanch
of the never Forget your
Welsh heroes campaign at
Cardiff Castle

towards the Never Forget Your Welsh

Heroes campaign.
Members of Rusty Shackle also
read out a moving letter written from
1916 by a Newport soldier, which
provided the basis for their song and
subsequently the campaign.
Campaign manager Will Loram
expressed his thanks to those in
attendance and said he hoped this
was the start of a lot of good stories
to come from families from all over
Wales.
Mr Skates AM said: The First

21

A day out
with the hounds
The traditions of the countryside are often those which
have been passed from generation to generation, and
in that way preserve and nourish skills that would
otherwise be lost, as Will Loram nds out...

his urge to pass down skills to his son

was what prompted 65-year-old Norman
Matthews to voice to a gathering of friends,
his ambitions to start a new basset hound hunt.
To his surprise, they all thought it was such a
good idea, that it immediately started to take
shape, and be enthusiastically taken up not only
by the country sports fraternity, but the wider
community.
And when the Woolaston Basset Hounds had
their first meet at the Old Vicarage, Woolaston
in October last year, not only had people
travelled from as far away as the Isle of Wight,
Exmoor and Llanidloes, in support, but the
all important youngster helpers were much in
evidence.
With the meet being held within a couple
of weeks of the first decade anniversary of the
hunting ban in England and Wales, it is significant
24

that there was enough interest about to set up

and support the time-hungry practice of working
with hounds.
As Joint Master, Norman is the most
experienced in working with dogs, although
he could be described as a spring chicken in
comparison to Raglans Gordon Hickman, who
weighs in at a very spritely 75-years-old.
With 50 years in the field listening to the
music of hounds, Gordon is not doing badly
himself. Bracing country air and working with
dogs in muddy fields can have some very obvious
health giving qualities, judging by these two.
They both insist that the emphasis is on youth,
and encouraging children to walk the puppies
and new hounds in preparation for the hunt.
The accent is in encouraging youth to
become involved in country sports, that is where
the future is. And so many youngsters these

days have got their noses in their phones

and computers, that it is good to see them
enjoying themselves in other ways, said
Gordon. The bassets are a lot faster than
they look. They are short of the leg, but
when they go, they really go.
But back to the beginning. And Norman
and his bright idea.
Hailing from the Rhondda, Norman had
been in Hunt Service for 26 years, and
after that had kept his hand in by helping
out as an amateur Whipper In for his local
foxhounds, the Curre Hunt, where he
was Joint Master for two years. So he was
pleased when his son, who was doing well
at his riding, was also interested in working

dogs. Now 15, Charles has been central to the

formation of the hunt, but he and his friends have
also put in a lot of graft in walking and handling the
hounds after school and at weekends.
Before the Woolaston Basset Hounds even had
a hound to their name, there was a lot of work
to do. It has taken a year to jump through hoops,
and the first task was to get registered with the
Master of Basset Hounds Association (MBHA),
and then register a new country. This is the area
which is hunted over by a particular hunt, and
needs permission by landowners and farmers. This
area then needs to be registered so that there is no
competition with other hunts. The result is a huge
tract of land for the Woolaston Bassets to use,
covering most of old Monmouthshire and the Forest
of Dean.
When asked why bassets over beagles for the new
pack, Norman answered: I just plumped on bassets
because I like bassets. I just thought it would be nice
for the children because of the temperaments are
unbelievable apart from being deaf!
They are not bloody-minded, but they are a lot
of a free spirit. Already it has been a tremendous
learning curve especially for the children, he
added.
The creation of the Woolaston Bassets brings the
total to eight packs in the England and Wales, and
one more in Scotland. Traditionally basset hounds
were used for hunting hare and rabbit, but with the
ban in place, the dogs are set after a trail set laid by
someone with a lure.
So on a day that could not decide whether or
not to rain on the Woolaston Bassets parade, and
the fine spread of snacks and drink at the inaugural
meet, Normans youngsters brought on the three
and a half couple (seven to the rest of us mortals)
of bassets and marched up the drive to show off to
the crowd of 100 spectators at the Old Vicarage to
resounding applause.
Main image:
norman Matthews
senior Master brings
hounds to the meet
assisted by ashley
Freeman and Issy davis,
while Jess Wyllie, a keen
supporter, keeps teacher
and hopscotch in check!
Inset left: norman
Matthews and ashley
Freeman at the first draw

right: James Peckham, chairman making a speech

diana bown, patron, norman Matthews, senior
master
below: gordon hickman, master, with teacher and
ronnie the terrier
bottom right: hounds in kennels olive, godfrey,
Jubilee, teacher

Peter and
sue burrows
grandson,
a young
supporter
inspecting next
seasons entry!

Four packs were kind enough to give

us some hounds to give us a start this
year, and then we had a bitch in whelp
from Leadon Vale, so that we had some
for next season. And the Four Shires
Bassets gave us half a litter, so we have
six and a half couple for now, Norman
told me. And the most experienced
hound of the pack was called Teacher.
Very appropriate.
The skies brightened to a dull overcast,
as the lush vista from Woolaston rolled
down to the Severn and the iconic bridge,
as speeches were made and glasses were
raised to bless the child of Normans
desire to pass on his skills to his boy. And
then they were off...
Lined up for the first draw, to get
these youngsters to pick up a the trail
laid by the bearded Afghanistan veteran
and Adjutant of The Rifles Regiment,
Capt Ben Cooper. With outdoor pursuits
being part of his job description, the
Captain had already hared off across the
fields after a conference with Norman.
The crowd had gathered for a grandstand
view, and then dithered whether to be
energetic enough to follow the hounds
into the dells and along ditches, or to call
it a day and head for home and keep the
wellies mud-free.
If you like the outdoors, and being
out in the countryside, then the Basset
Hounds is just the

25

sort of thing for you. The great beauty of the hunt, is

not what you are chasing although the skill in guiding and
controlling the hounds has a timelessness about it that can
leave you standing in awe but the fact that you are taken
places that you would not otherwise go, or be allowed to
go.
Four hours disappeared in a rush through fields to keep
sight of the hounds on a trail, or standing on a knoll while
the huntsmen worked hedges and bramble bushes, and a
big field of maize.
By the time he sounded the horn for Going Home,
Norman was very pleased with the first outing
performance of the hounds.
It was a good start. The youngsters were a little bit
sharp, but I was very impressed with Teacher, as he taught
them a lot and was true on the line.
Capt Cooper had laid four trails, and the young
supporters who had been helping out at the kennels,
and walking out the hounds every day, including Ashley
Freeman, Charles Matthews, Lucy Peckham and Izzy Davis
enjoyed the day as they assisted the Huntsman on the day,
along with Paul Freeman and John Brooks.
A very encouraging aspect of the new basset hunt was
the amount of interest from the wider community near
the kennels at Woolaston and wider afield. People who
would not necessarily been interested in hunting have
become involved, and have turned out to support the
hunt.
As a country sport, the community element is very
much at the heart of hunting, and having gone from
foxhounds to a foot pack, Norman has found that it is a
much more accessible to more people, especially as it cuts
out the expense of the horse.

Clockwise from the top: Paul Freeman, amateur whip on point

looking up to tidenham Chase; steve and tom Jarvis; norman
Matthews, encouraging hounds; norman and hannah Matthews,
gordon hickman and lucy Peckham; the whips and young helpers
of the Woolaston bassets

26

Time to smile for

denture wearers

Exciting news for denture wearers in Monmouthshire

the county is set to have its own clinical dental technician
in the form of Ben Brookshaw, who has been running his
own dental laboratory in the county since 1996...

xciting news for denture wearers in

Monmouthshire the county is set to have
its own clinical dental technician in the form
of Ben Brookshaw, who has been running his
own dental laboratory in the county since 1996.
Ben is currently training to become a
CDT, which means he can work directly with
patients, carrying out oral examinations, taking
impressions, making and fitting the dentures.
Traditionally, dental laboratories work behind
the scenes of dental practices - they never get
to meet the patient for whom they are making
the dentures. It is all done through impressions
of the patients mouth taken by the dentist and
sent to the dental laboratory.
The benefits of the technician working
directly with the patient to construct
aesthetically pleasing dentures with comfort and
function is obvious.
However, until 2006, the practice of
technician working directly with patient was
considered illegal in the UK.
The law was much less restrictive in other

countries such as Canada, Australia, Denmark

and the Netherlands, and a small number of
dental technicians from the UK were going
over to Canada to undertake clinical dental
technology education via the George Brown
College in Toronto and then practising illegally
back in the UK. Their activity was largely
ignored unless prosecution was instigated.
In 2006, the Faculty of General Dental
Practice (UK) of the Royal College of Surgeons
of England agreed to award the Diploma in
Clinical Dental Technology to Diplomates of
the Canadian College, following appropriate
top-up education and successful examination
at one of their approved centres in the UK.
This Diploma, once awarded, allowed CDTs to
apply for statutory registration with the General
Dental Council.
Five years later, one of the approved
centres - Health Education Kent Surrey and
Sussex (HEKSS) - offered the Diploma as a
full programme to qualified dental technicians
without prior clinical experience.

Ben is in his final year of the third cohort of

students to go through the programme, which
involves three years of intensive study.
At present, according to figures released by
the General Dental Council, there are 6,292
registered dental technicians and 304 registered
CDTs in the UK.
The British Association of Clinical Dental
Technology (BACDT) was established in 2009
as the leading professional association to sustain
and advance the ethical practice of Clinical
Dental Technology in the UK. Ben is one of its
77 members.
Further information can be found on Bens
website - www.benbrookshaw.co.uk - or by
telephoning 01291 622044.

Patients enjoy a sing-a-long

Soothing the soul

Will Loram discovers more about the healing power of music...

usic does many things for many people

depending on what genre and what volume
but as a general rule of thumb, most people
would agree that it is good for the soul. Which is
why the charity Music in Hospitals is so important to
raise the spirits of those on their back and suffering.
Live music has a very different affect on people
from the tinned stuff out of speakers, and so a
performance by one or two professional musicians,
whether it is opera, jazz, folk, or a sing-a-long guitar
medley, can lift the spirits of those who are suffering
physically. Morale lifting has a positive effect on
patients, and helps them recover quicker, or eases

their pain if their illness is long term or terminal.

Which is why top sopranos, instrumentalists, and
other professionals find this such a worthwhile cause
to give their time to.
If you have not heard of Music in Hospitals it is
entirely understandable. Unless you have been lucky
enough during a hospital stay to be a recipient of a
performance, it is not a charity which immediately
springs to mind. In Wales the charity has a database
of nearly 1,000 hospitals, care homes, and hospices
that request the services of musicians of all sorts and
varieties.
Formed in 1948 to aid the recuperation of

29

wounded Second World War soldiers, Music

in Hospitals has continued its work in response to
developments in healthcare provision.
As an extraordinary charity, the Welsh arm
of Music in Hospitals has stumbled upon an outof-the-ordinary way of raising funds, where you
feel privileged to be involved, and privileged to be
attending.
The energetic director of the charity in Wales,
Robert Aitken, has managed to arrange a couple of
very special events in two splendid Monmouthshire
houses. With tickets sold by word of mouth, it has
taken on the atmosphere of a particularly exclusive
club for those lucky enough to get hold of a ticket.
And because it has been word of mouth, most of
those attending know, or know of the others sitting
on the dining room chairs conscripted for duty in
a drawing room decorated for a grander, and nonelectronic age.
And so it was a sense of privilege that I guided
the nose of the family horseless carriage through the
grand gates, and swung round the winding drive, to
the doors of the National Trust owned classic Greek
style mansion Clytha House. We were there for
reknowned bass Arwel Huw Morgan, accompanied
on the piano by the latest Trustee appointee Ingrid
Surgenor, to celebrate the life and poetry of Dylan
Thomas with Dylan Works with Welsh Song.
At times you had to pinch yourself that you had not
landed a role as an extra in Downton Abbey. Once

30

top left and bottom right: robert aitken

Main image: bass arwel huw Morgan and
accompanist and Music in hospitals trustee
Ingrid surgenor outside Clytha house for
dylan Works with Welsh song
below: Music helps sooth people when they
are in hospital
top right: arwel huw Morgan of the
eno and Wno, a reknown bass from the
swansea valley

you had got past that, there was a

realisation that this is how music was
heard in those days before recorded
music. Soirees up and down the
country in the mansions and houses
of grandees who were patrons or
enjoyed music.
Huws idea for the evening was,
through appropriate songs, as a small
way to commemorate 50 years since
the death by surfeit of whiskies, the
famous English language Welsh poet.
It must be possible, I thought,
to find an English poem that would
mirror the theme of a Welsh song
so well that I wouldnt need to
translate it word-for-word before its
performance. By reading the selected
poem immediately before performing
the song, the audience would better
understand the song and, hopefully,
have an enhanced enjoyment of both.
I have always admired Dylan
Thomas poetry and wondered if I
might use his poems exclusively in
this.
It was indeed a privilege to listen
to the witty and informative sound of
Huws tenor, perfectly mimicking the
Swansea accent gone BBC of Thomas,
through readings from his poems and
Under Milk Wood in a way I just could
not have imagined. And the songs,
chosen to compliment the readings,
brought tears to my wifes eyes on one
occasion, just to gauge the power of
Huws delivery.
So far the musical soirees
fundraisers for Music in Hospitals have
only taken place in Monmouthshire,

but Robert is keen to expand

on this very effective way of
fund raising for the charity.
These are different to
other music concerts, in the
fact they are held in places
where the public do not
normally get to go. For the
owners of the houses, they
are able to invite their friends
to a memorable evening,
and help raise money for a
worthy cause at the same
time. Depending on the venue
for further events, hopefully
we will be able to open up
the evenings to interested
members of the public,
Robert said.
Anyone interested should
email wales@musicinhsopitals.
org.uk to be put on a list of
potential concert goers.
With a passion for music,
that saw him earning his first
wage at the piano of the Royal
pub in Usk aged 17, Robert
went on to have a successful
career in the Army with the
Royal Regiment of Wales, as
Commander of Allied Forces
in Bosnia and as Commander
of the Army in Wales (20012003) before retiring from
military life.
Music was a constant
strand throughout his Army
career. As Commander
British Forces in Bosnia, he
formed (and sang second
tenor in) a barbershop quartet
which sang regularly to the
local population as well as the
members of the Armed Forces
of several different nations.
As Commander of the Army
in Wales, he sang regularly
for Brecon Cathedral choir
(as a countertenor). And as
Commanding Officer of the
Royal Regiment of Wales, he
formed and directed a male
voice choir made up of 100
young Welsh soldiers, none of
whom had had any previous
experience of choral singing,
and performed Myfanwy and
Hand Me Down My Silver
Trumpet in 4-part harmony at
the Festival of Remembrance
in the Albert Hall in 1997.
For more information go
to www.musicinhospitals.
org.uk or email wales@
musicinhsopitals.org.uk

Create a new you this year

he leisure clube at St Pierre,

A Marriott Hotel and
Country Club is an ideal
place for all your relaxation and
fitness requirements.
Set within 400 acres of beautiful
park land, St Pierre is a historic
gem and the perfect venue for you
and your family to kick the New
Year off to a new healthier lifestyle.
The club benefits from a fullyequipped gym complete with new
top-of-the-range cardiovascular
equipment, free weights room, spin
studio and aerobic studio.
The aerobics studio holds more
than 35 classes pert week, with
classes to suit all tastes from Body
Pump to the latest dance exercise
craze, Zumba.
Fitness classes for children are
also available.
The club also has a swimming
pool with baby splash pool, steam
room, sauna and spa bath for
relaxation or swimming.
A wide range of memberships
are available to suit individual or
family requirements for more
details please call our membership
team on 01291 635208.

Push yourself Further in

2015 at the leisure club
at st Pierre, a Marriott
hotel and Country Club
Were here to help you maintain
your resolve to get fit and healthy,
whether its our body shaping boot
camp classes, cardio programmes,
our range of body-sculpting weights
or doing lengths of our pool. You
could even try our one-on-one
personal training for that extra
motivation. Whatever your goal we
have everything to keep you fit and
lean in 2015!
Whats more, if you do decide
to join us on a full membership
you can enjoy our fantastic range
of benefits including discounts
with high street retailers, financial
services providers, car hire,
holidays and travel.
Add to that free use of other
participating leisure clubs, reduced
accommodation rates and discounts
in participating Marriott Hotels
throughout the UK plus much
more.

If you join in January youll

receive your first month
FREE and with no contract,
there is no better time to
push forward with your
fitness routine.
With breathtaking
views, 400 acres of
picturesque parkland and
a stunning 14th century
manor, St. Pierre, Marriott
Hotel & Country Club, is
an idyllic retreat.
Where could be better
to achieve and maintain
the healthy lifestyle youve
always strived for?

OUR LEISURE CLUB

INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING FACILITIES:
Gym Spa Bath & Sauna Steam Room Resistance
Gym Free Weights Room Aerobics Studio with over
40 classes per week, including Boot Camp, Zumba &
Boxercise Outdoor Tennis Courts Indoor Heated
Swimming Pool Crche Health & Beauty Salon
33

Countybusiness
ENGINEERS
STEP OUT TO
RAISE MONEY
FOR CHARITY

HMRC SWOOP IN
ON SOLICITORS
By Elliott Buss, UHY Hacker Young
Solicitors have become the latest set of
professionals to be targeted by HMRC for
not declaring income.
Alongside the HMRC task forces, such
crackdowns have targeted professionals
such as doctors and dentists since 2011.
The crackdowns have raised 1bn
so far and HMRC hope to increase this
figure with access to legal aid data and
third party information to gather serous
evidence to uncover any tax evasion.
As is the case with other crackdowns
solicitors who come forward unprompted
will receive lower penalties than those
who choose to stay quiet.
The opportunity to disclose runs from
December 8, 2014 to June 9, 2015, and
is for solicitors working for themselves,
via a partnership (and LLPs) or limited
companies.
This is an opportunity for solicitors to
come forward and bring their affairs up
to date.
Should you have any queries please
contact Elliott Buss, senior tax manager e.buss@uhy-uk.com

Severn Bridge maintenance engineers are

putting their feet up after finishing a 218-mile
walk in eight days and raising 2,500 for St
Annes Hospice.
The seven-strong Severn Bridge Stumblers
the stumblers
completed more than a marathon a day for
eight days walking from the source of the River
raise so much money for St
Severn in mid Wales to where it meets the sea at
Annes Hospice.
Avonmouth.
We have traditionally
Team leader Paul Lane, aged 53, from Undy, said:
raised money for St Annes
The walk, The Severn Way along the banks of what
is the longest river in Britain, was definitely one of our Hospice and now St Davids
Hospice Care as its a local
hardest challenges we have faced to date. I certainly
charity and family members
took its toll on each and every one of our seven man
have benefited from their care
team.
It was a gruelling test, day after day trudging along and support in the past.
The men each took a
the River Severn, through marvellous countryside,
weeks holiday from work
following the route of the river from its source in the
to complete the walk and
mountains at Plynlimon to where it flows into the sea
paid for their own overnight
at Avonmouth.
accommodation each night
Paul, Severn River Crossings inspection and
maintenance manager, has worked on the two bridges along the way.
Tania Ansell, of St Annes
for 32 years.
Hospice Care, said: This was
He said the team were delighted to have
a fabulous effort from The
completed the challenge and to have been able to

Rural scheme
attracts 3.3m

C
the adventa team

16M DEPOT OPEN FOR BUSINESS

One of the UKs leading foodservice providers,
Bidvest 3663 is now fully operational from its new
16m depot in Chepstow.
Bidvest 3663 has consolidated its Bristol and
Severnbridge depots into the new 170,000sq ft
distribution centre in Chepstow and relocated its
Swansea depot to a newly refurbished site nearby.
The new facility is the business largest regional
distribution centre and comes as part of a multimillion pound investment plan to bolster its local
depot network and support customer growth.
The Chepstow depot will serve customers
throughout South Wales and the West Country
and support other Bidvest 3663 sites with its
extensive frozen product range.
The new Swansea site will continue to support
the valued customer base in West Wales.
The new Chepstow depot will stock about
5,100 product lines and a fleet of 30 spaceefficient vehicles will make approximately 1,700
deliveries per week, distributing more than
70,000 items.
Dave Hodgson, Bidvest 3663 Midlands
managing director, said: These new distribution
facilities are part of our investment strategy for
growth based on boosting service levels and
future-proofing our local and national depot

34

Severn Bridge Stumblers.

Were absolutely thrilled with
their continued support and
with the significant amount of
money that they have raised
for the charity to help to
enable us to continue with our
vital work within community.
The Stumblers, who live
on either side of the English
Welsh border, all work as
part of the Severn bridges
maintenance team based
on the English side at Aust.
They are employed by Laing
ORourke who look after the
bridges on behalf of owners
Severn River Crossings Plc.

network. We chose the new sites as we are

committed to having a comprehensive customer
offering in Wales.
We also wanted to make sure that we were
able to retain the exceptional workforce from two
top performing depots. Recent new account wins,
securing category supply agreements with leading
regional and national customers and growth from
the independent sector means that improving
efficiencies and delivering top customer service is
more important than ever.
By investing in a high-specification depot with
state-of-the-art facilities and amalgamating teams
from Bristol and Severnbridge, we aim to meet
these challenges and push service levels even
further.
Chepstow is the first of the wholesalers
new sites to have solar panels on the roof which
deliver electricity to the depot and back to the
grid. Other green solutions include motion
sensor lighting to save electricity, a highly efficient
cooling system and fast close warehouse doors to
maintain temperature control, all of which will be
monitored by a computerised system.
The Chepstow and Swansea depot projects
follow recent site openings in Wakefield and
Bicester.

aldicot Castle was the backdrop for a special event

to celebrate the success of Monmouthshires Rural
Development Programme which has attracted more than
3.3m into the county to benefit rural communities and small
businesses.
More than 70 guests, including representatives from rural
businesses and community groups, attended the event to mark
the end of the programme. Project officers were on hand to
explain the exciting projects which were part of an innovative
programme which has given a significant boost to the local rural
economy over the past three years.
The event was organised by adventa, which has worked to
deliver part of the countys RDP.
Cllr Bob Greenland, deputy leader of Monmouthshire
County Council, outlined the programme and highlighted
how RDP funding has helped rural communities, encouraging
diversification.
He also explained how adventas projects have inspired rural
communities and enterprises to develop new ideas and pilot new
approaches in rural development.
Monmouthshire s RDP was funded by the Rural
Development Plan for Wales which is funded by the Welsh
Assembly Government and the European Agricultural Fund
for Rural Development with Monmouthshire County Council
providing additional programme funding.
Cllr Greenland said he was delighted at the way the countys
rural businesses and communities had been able to benefit by
working together with adventa and MCC, taking advantage of
their support and expertise.
He said: I would like to acknowledge the invaluable
contribution made by the RDP Partnership members who have
overseen the governance and delivery of the RDP Programme
in Monmouthshire and to thank and congratulate them and the
RDP project officers for the success of the programme.
Adventa has also been responsible for coordinating the
cross-border Walking with Offa initiative, which has attracted
an additional estimated 270,000 to support projects in
Monmouthshire.

Countybusiness
Cooking oil can
now be recycled
Used cooking oil is now being accepted and recycled
across all Monmouthshire Household Waste Recycling
Centres.
Monmouthshire County Council together with its
recycling sites contractor, Viridor, has installed special
tanks for five of the major recycling sites across the
area.
Martin Williams, Viridors Area Manager, said:
Used cooking oil recycling tanks are already
successfully operating at a huge number of Viridors
sites across the UK. Its fantastic to know that residents
of south east Wales can all contribute to the nations
electricity generation in such a simple and effective
way.
The new tanks will divert as much used cooking oil
as possible from either costly landfill or clogging up the
countys drains.
The oil will be used to generate clean, green
electricity after being processed by Living Fuels - the
UKs leading used cooking oil to renewable energy
eco-firm.
Living Fuels operations director, Rob Murphy said:
It has often been difficult to dispose of used cooking
oil. Whether sent to costly landfill - where it produces
harmful greenhouse gases or poured down the sink,
it currently costs around 15m a year to repair the
havoc it wreaks in damaging drains.
The chemical-free, filtering and settling of used
cooking oil creates the bioliquid LF100 which is then
used in combined heat and power facilities. Living Fuels
estimates that the average three-litre contents of a
south-east Wales chip fryer generates enough power
to make 720 cups of tea.

NICOLA TAKES THE HELM IN USK

Experienced high-value residential property professional
Nicola Foxton, pictured, has been appointed manager of the
Roberts & Co office in Usk.
Nicola comes to the Monmouthshire position after
gaining valuable estate agency management experience in the
rarefied atmosphere of the south eastern England counties of
Berkshire and Surrey.
Now settled in to a new home in Blackwood, where she
has family, Nicola has been handed the key task of developing
the estate agents exclusive Town & Country brand along with
managing its key rural office in Bridge Street, Usk.
Nicola said: The majority of my experience has been
gained in the higher end market working in and covering areas
such as Ascot, Sunningdale, Virginia Water and Wentworth.
Most recently I worked for Hamptons International in
Esher, near Hampton Court Palace. I have performed all
aspects of the role as a negotiator, assistant manager and
manager. I have a good track record of going into offices,
resolving any issues, boosting business and improving results.
I am relishing the challenge of securely establishing what
is a relatively new but successful office here in Usk and
continuing to compete effectively in the vibrant residential
property market place. Ill work to secure an excellent
reputation for the agency not only for success but also for
providing exceptional service.
A main objective for me, within the Usk branch, is to
develop the Town & Country brand and to increase business in
the high end sector. Property in Usk and the surrounding area
has many similarities to the quality and standard of housing in
the area I most recently worked. The experience I have gained
dealing at this level will be very valuable in growing the Town &
Country side of the business.
Usk has a real community spirit and a strong sense of

1.

identity, not to mention attractive period

property on a river setting. Monmouthshire
offers great countryside and perfect commuter
links.
Roberts and Co managing director Mark
Roberts said: Were thrilled to have been able
to appoint an individual of the talent and with
the credentials that Nicola has to this key role
within our expanding business.
Nicola is someone with the character,
industry stature, experience, unbounded
enthusiasm and calibre to fill the role in Usk.
Her deep knowledge is all backed up by
honesty and a solid track record of being
able to deliver results in a competitive and
challenging market place.

5.

6.

3.

2.

4.

7.

1. Pegboard. 30. www.thekidwho.eu

2. Sign. 9. www.tch.net 3. USB light.
15. www.TheGreatGiftCompany.co.uk
4. Trimphone. 40. www.berryred.co.uk
5. Alessi paperclip holder. 27.99. www.design55online.co.uk
6. Butterfly hole punch. 15. www.koziol-shop.co.uk 7. Desk lamp.
96. www.in-spaces.com

For more Monmouthshire news visit www.monmouthshirecountylife.co.uk/news 35

For all thats good

about the county

If you want to make sure you get the

next edition, subscribe online at

www.monmouthshirecountylife.co.uk
to advertise in the next edition contact

andrea hall on 01633 777207

Follow us on Facebook
bit.ly/MCLonfacebook

In the baby
business
Millie Hedges chats to a Monmouthshire
mum who took matters into her own hands
when it came to deciding what her baby
was going to wear...
38

Ffion Currie, of
BouLou, andher
daughter Llio

hen choosing baby clothes

there is usually but one
question to answer: should I
get this in pink or blue?
And it can sometimes feel there is
no middle ground between an outfit
explicitly aimed at a girl and an outfit
aimed at a boy.
This was a problem Ffion Currie,
owner of BouLou Babes, had before
setting up her own baby clothing
business in spring last year.
BouLou was born from my
frustration in trying to find trendy, fun,
preferably organic baby clothes which
stayed away from the conventional
cutesy pinks and blues of the baby
world, says Ffion.
BouLou offers a range of bibs,
scarves, hats, headbands and blankets
all of which are hand-printed, made
with 100 per cent organic cotton and
are unisex.
We have baby boys who wear our
pink moose hats and baby girls who
wear our grey and blue collection,
Ffion explained. Id like to think our
products are for mums who want
their little one dressed in a way that
matches their one-of-a-kind, irresistible
personality in clothes which let them
run free and wild in comfort and style.
Asked why she thinks its important
to use cotton in her products, the
mum-of-one, said: Natural fibres are
much better for babys skin which is
so thin and delicate. Acrylic can cause
rashes and allergies. Cotton tends to
be much softer and is a great insulator
so is better at keeping your baby warm
or cool.
As well as making fashionable, highquality products BouLou always gives
a percentage of its profits to Project
Luangwa, which helps build classrooms
and creates more educational
opportunities for children in Luangwa.
Giving back is a very important
part of the BouLou Babes ethos,

says Ffion. My mum, who

recently retired as a head
teacher in Monmouth, has
been working with this charity
for several years and has been
out to visit Luangwa. So I have
a very clear understanding of
how much help is desperately
needed over there.
Education is the key
to making real change in
countries like this and I knew
from the moment I started the
business I wanted to help.
The baby clothes business is
a bit of a different career path
for Ffion, who is also a dentist.
I am very lucky as Mum only
lives around the corner and so
is chief baby sitter. She looks
after my daughter Llio when I
am at work, she said.
Among the companys

bestsellers are the moosedesign headbands and scarves.

Asked where she draws
her inspiration from, Ffion
said: Llio and I are always
out and about for walks
with our dog, Ted. I love the
countryside and wildlife and I
think that definitely shows in
my designs.
And there will be new
designs as Ffion is already
planning to extend her range.
I am currently working on
a few other clothing items,
she said. I will definitely
be doing a spring/summer
collection with a whole new
range of colours.
For more information visit
bouloubabes.com.

Bringing
up baby
Millie Hedges chooses some great
gifts for expectant parents who
want more than just nappies at
their baby shower...

8
3

5
2
7

believe there is no greater shopping trip

than one that involves buying presents
for babies. However, making your baby
shower present standout amongst the sea of
blankets, nappies and muslin parents-to-be will
receive may be an issue. So here are a few gift
ideas which are guaranteed to be a winner.
For those parents who want their child to
unleash their inner rock god but who are
sensible enough to know that the voices of Kurt
Cobain or Mick Jagger are maybe not the best
to try and get baby sleeping there is Rockabye
Baby (1).
These CDs or iTunes downloads are lled
with lullaby renditions of all your favourite
bands from Nirvana and The Rolling Stones to
Coldplay and Bjork.
Nothing says bedtime like Heaven Knows

Im Miserable Now. 8.99 to 11.99 from

rockabyebabymusic.com/uk.
With a myriad of trendy designs, all
made from organic cotton and some prots
going to charity, BouLou Babes is the onestop shop for unique unisex accessories.
My personal favourite is the Big Eight
Headband 9 (2) from notonthehighstreet.
com or bouloubabes.com.
For the gentleman-in-training there are
stylish bibs complete with bowtie or tie,
9.95 (3) each from bubblegumstuff.com
perfect for the baby who has a business
meeting (or an appointment with grandma)
to attend.
Okay, so new parents are probably
going to be sick of the sight of coffee cups
given its what theyll be living on to get
them through the day, but who wouldnt
nd this Rise and Shine Sippy Cup from
oliverbonas.com at 7.50 (4), utterly
adorable. Now the little one can be just
like daddy (minus the coffee).
For a truly personal gift look no further
than The Quick Cyan Fox on Etsy for
wonderful alphabet prints that will no
doubt take pride of place in the little ones
nursery (5). Available in pink or blue, the
prints feature the babys name, weight and
date/time of birth. They are 6 to 10
from etsy.com/shop/thequickcyanfox.
If you cried at the John Lewis advert
then maybe this next gift choice isnt for
you, or maybe its perfect, Im not sure.
Despite bursting into tears while reading
page one, I am sure Wish by Emma
Dodd (6) would make a brilliant addition
to a youngsters library. Complete with
beautiful illustrations, this is a story about a
daddy wolf who wants the best for his little
baby. If the rst line Until you came into
my world I thought my life complete. But
then I wished for you, my sweet doesnt
have you reaching for the tissues, nothing
will. 7.99 from thewhitecompany.com.
Talking of books, if baby is likely to
become a bookworm given the amount
of literature already stacking up on
the nursery shelves then these Bunny
Bookends would be the perfect gift to
keep everything in order. Simple and cute,
19.50 from Marks and Spencers (7).
Lastly, a gift thats a bit extravagant but
undoubtedly a classic for the nursery. This
Dylan and Boo Rocking Horse, 109.95
(8) from cuckooland.com, is a sweet twist
on an old favourite. With a funky unisex
design, complete with soft fabric, a suede
mane and tail and a pouch for his little
teddy pal Boo, Dylan will be a babys best
friend for years and years.

Making strides
for walking
groups and
volunteers

Zara bligh
launches
the online
walkers
toolkit

Support for Monmouthshires

countryside volunteers and walking groups has been
stepped up with the launch of an online toolkit
which is also intended as a hub for the walking community...

round 55 volunteers involved with walking

in Monmouthshire attended the launch of
the online toolkit at The Centenary Hall in
Usk to hear how the joint venture between adventa
and Monmouthshire County Councils Countryside
Department aims to make strides in supporting
walking and walk-related tourism in the county.
Guests at the launch were shown how they could
get their information uploaded and how to use the
mapping system, which will allow them to print off
maps of specific areas or report problems or check
the status of issues on walking routes.
Zara Bligh, research and marketing coordinator
for advent, said: The new on-line resource was
well received at the launch and should become a
valuable reference tool.

She added that adventa has supported the toolkit

as part of its sustainable tourism project, which
adventa has been leading as part of the countys
Rural Development Programme.
Walking has been a major focus for this project
and we have helped to establish Abergavenny,
Chepstow, Monmouth and Tintern as Walkers
Are Welcome towns, where volunteers are very
involved in coordinating walking activities which
help to support their local economy. We have
created the online toolkit to support them and all
rights of way and walking volunteers in the county.
These volunteers are providing an important
service for the benefit of local residents and visitors
and the new online resource is designed to help
them by consolidating walk-related information

and providing support and guidance. It

will also be a central hub for volunteers
with a similar interest and will be useful
for anyone who wants to find out more
about volunteering
or supporting their local walking group or
for any community group with any sort of
walking interest.
The information in the toolkit
includes everything you need to know
about footpaths and walking, from path
assessment, to clearing, to creating a new
leafleted walk, to potential legal issues,
marketing, tourism ambassadors, walking
festivals and potential funding. Theres
also a calendar of relevant local events
all presented in a straightforward and
engaging format.
the toolkit is available to view online
at www.monmouthshirewalking.com.

43

Away with
the fairies in the
Brecon Beacons
Will Loram introduces his family to his beloved Beacons...

here can be few better reasons to struggle

up into the cloudbase in the face of 55mph
winds that screamed across the ridge paths
and peaks of the Brecon Beacons, than to know
that your evening is going to be spent relaxing
with a hot bath and some of the best food and
drink in the Principality.
And if you are going to be walking in the
Beacons in November, you need some sort of
inducement like that. But more of the rewards for
exertions later. For now, there is the SAS killer
hills, and I have enlisted not only my family, but
a cousin Katie, to be led up the highest peak in
the south of Britain by the National Trusts head
ranger Rob Reith as walk guide and story teller.
My mothers family have for more centuries

than is good for them lived in the shadow of the

Brecon Beacons. We used to stay with my great
uncle, who was at the time coroner for Brecon,
and who used to regale us with the latest tales of
who had died on the Beacons. And then in the
afternoon, my mother would drop her brood
at one end of the Roman Road, and tell us she
would meet at the other end while she went
off to catch up with county gossip with friends.
She would probably be arrested for it today as
gross neglect but then it was an adventure. Even
without mobile phones.
We roamed up and down, and roundabout,
until we thought we owned the stiff climbs,
precarious ridges, and the view down to Brecon,
and over east to the crouching masses of the

Black Mountains guarding against the encroaches

of undulating Herefordshire.
Nowadays, the Brecon Beacons is owned by
The National Trust, the Honourable Artillery
Company, and the Brecon Beacons National
Parks. But I still wanted for my family to share
my Beacons with me, but what I wanted to learn
myself was some of the stories of the Beacons.
So who better than the National Trust ranger
Rob Reith who has been working and guiding on
the mountains for 20 years? It sounded a good
plan to me. And it evened things up, as including
the dog Toto, I was outnumbered by girls at 4:1
until Rob joined the party.
Meeting at the old army camp of Cwm Gwdi,
which used to house Nissan huts and canteen

The family set

out on their
adventure
guided by park
ranger Rob
Reith

for the next batch of khaki clad

warriors being beasted up and the
green slopes, or to practice their
firing at the slopes of the Alt Ddu
hill opposite, as we clear the pine
forestry and take a steepening path
up towards the cloud shrouded
Beacons.
The army have been using
and abusing the Beacons since
the 1800s, so that the flanks of
Alt Ddu are peppered with all
sort of shot from musket balls to
phosphorous shells, too numerous
to clear.
Despite being November, it
was that warm autumn that had
encroached on winter, and not all
of us were dressed for a mountain
walk in the mist.
What not to wear are i) jeans
ii) no grip fashion plimsolls iii)
flimsy fashion garments, that have
no warmth in the wind and wet.
Another thing to remember is that
Pen-y-Fan is the highest peak in
southern Britain, and so it is likely
to be colder at the top than at the
start of the walk.
Fairly basic, but easily forgotten
by teenagers more worried about
being fully made up for the benefit
of passing sheep, than whether
the weather is going to play tricks
on them.
After a gentle start, the path
stepped up on its panting scale,
and we were grateful for Robs
running commentary. As we take a
nonchalant breather, ostensibly to
look at the ruins of a shepherd s
cottage and notice what looks like
an ancient stone path up the hill
towards the Cribyn the next peak
down from Pen-y-Fan.
In fact it is a new path, built
by Rob and his National Trust
volunteers, using ancient Roman
road building techniques. But it
was this route that before Welsh
slate was more easily available,
they used take horse-drawn
sledges up to small quarries in the
mountainside, and load up split red
sandstone to roof the houses of
Brecon.
Leaving the quarries behind, we
climbed into the damp wet cloud,
which the rising winds had failed to
move from squatting churlishly on
the mountain tops and robbing us
of the spectacular panoramas that
usually greet you in the Beacons.
Instead, cagoule-covered figures
emerged unexpectedly out of the
gloom. Some with dogs leashed,
some let loose, and some with
small children going down after
being over-filled with adventure.
There was a family debate over
whether our small Jack Russell/
King Charles mongrel should
be kept on the lead to stop her
being unexpectedly blown off the
ridgeway, and down the 500ft of
steep escarpment.
And so we trudged, talk difficult
because of the buffeting wind and
rain, until we picked a path up a
little turret, that Rob declared was
the Cribyn. As we climbed up the
rocks to the summit, a family sat

around like crows perched on the

turret battlements. As passed with
smiles wiped by the weather, the
father asked a teenage girl with a
funny dog balaclava: have you got
a water proof jacket?
Im fine! replied the girl, with
spoonfuls of attitude.
Down we dive into the saddle
between the Cribyn the third
highest peak and Pen-y-Fan the
highest peak. And if the teenage
contingent of our party was underdressed, the couple of boys in
shorts were pushing the boat out.
We straggle up to the top of
Pen-y-Fan, with the wind blustering
us about the place. More than 3.5
million people make it up to the
top here every year it was once
covered in peat stacks taller than
a man. But only approximately
65,000 did it from our route of
Cwm Gwdi.
Do you know what this is?
Rob asked, as we hunched out
of our hoods, looking at ripples
in the rock close to the trig point
declaring the top of the peak.
We are tired, and hungry, and
dont like guessing games in the
adverse elements, and so give up
without a fight.
The seabed, Rob says, and
launches into the geological
explanation of what this part of
Wales looked like when it was
underneath the sea, and this
part of Britain was down near
the Falkland Islands. At that
moment it just looked gloomy and
waterlogged, and you might as
well have been at the bottom of
the sea.
To have lunch, we needed
to get out of the wind, which
Rob estimated without any
instrumentation as 40mph.
Later at the Griffin, we were
told that they had recorded gusts
of 55mph, so I rate that as a fair
guess. And enough to scare Leila
into keeping the dog well leashed.
Rehana is suffering with a bad
knee, and is feeling miserable,
and we watch as Rob and the
girls march off towards the Cwm
Llwrch path, a fully-grown ranger
dwarfed by a 14-year-old and
15-year-old either side of him.
Eventually we find a lunch spot
out of the wind, as the path wound
past Tommy Jones obelisk, high
above the lake of Cwm Llwrch.
The story of Tommy Jones is
tragic one of a five-year-old boy
in 1900, who travelling from
Maerdy in the Rhondda with his
family to visit his grandparents who
farmed near the Cwm Llwrch,
disappeared within 250 yards
from their farmhouse, as night was
falling. After a search lasting nearly
a month his body was found five
miles up towards the mountain
peaks above Cwm Llwrch.
By that time his body was
so decomposed and pecked by
carrion the coroner could only
register his death caused by
exhaustion and exposure.
But there are so many

45

unanswered questions, considering

the extensive searches by the army
camped just downstream of where
he disappeared, and of people from
Brecon. It quickly became a story
taken up by national newspapers,
with the Daily Mail offering a reward
of 20 (roughly 2,000 today) for
information.
And then, when the information did
come, it was via a dream of a servant
at Castle Madoc, a mansion on distant
moors on the other side of Brecon.
Although Mrs Hamer had never been
to the Brecon Beacons, she persuaded
her husband to take her to the place
in her dream, and it was so vivid that
she was able to take searchers to the
boys body.
As we ate, and digested this story,
the cloud that had been wallowing
in the valley slowly cleared, and like
a heavy velvet curtain being slowly
drawn aside, the lake in all its glory
was revealed. The dark and glowering
water, only support leeches, foolhardy
TV presenters, and a couple of other
life forms, it is so cold.
Refreshed and revived with tuna
mayo sandwiches and hot tea, we
follow the path as it winds down to
the lake, and go investigate the ruins
of a longhouse farm at the waters
edge.
The lake has its own legend. Of a
causeway that would appear in the
lake, leading to a fantastic gate, that
led down into a magical fairy garden,
deep below the mountains. There
people who were invited down by
the fairies were entertained amongst
the most wondrous of flowers and
plants. But the rule was, no one could
take anything from the garden. As in
all fairy stories, someone just has to
go and spoil the party. He had a sick
wife, and wanted to give her just one
of the wondrous blooms to cheer her
up. So he picked one, and hid it under
his tunic. But when he got outside, the
portal gate to wondrous land of the

Dramatic views everywhere,

even with the mist down, as
Will and his family enjoy a
day out in the hills

46

fairies crumbled and collapsed into the

waters of the lake, and the causeway
sunk beneath the waters, and the
party pooper reached into his tunic
hoping that at least he had the flower,
only to find that it had crumbled to
dust.
After the lake, the path downhill
becomes a sleepily gentle descent,
past the farmhouse of Tommy Jones
grandparents, and across the little
bridge where Tommy was last seen.
On the hills to the left we had seen
long abandoned butts for army
shooting practice, and Rob pointed
out where an Iron Age had once
stood. Trees and bushes became our
increasingly plentiful companions as
we dropped in altitude and onto the
lane that led back to the car.
By this time, of course, the skies
had cleared, the wind had died, and
it looked as clear as a bell up at the
Pen-y-Fan peak at 886 metres (2,907
ft) above sea-level. But we felt good.
We felt like we had been challenged,
and had met the challenge.
The short journey to the Felin Fach
Griffin, found us tucking into Welsh
cake and tea, as we slid into the
casual sofas by the bar, and discussing
the best bits of the walk.
For Leila, some of it was a bit
scary, with the wind almost wanting
to pick you up as we took the ridge
path to Pen-y-Fan, and people
popping out of the mist.
But Rehana loved the mist closing
in on us, and surviving the attack
by the storm, and the real sense of
wilderness by the short visibility.
Well, I suppose you cant please
everyone except when it comes to
eating the Griffins award-winning
dinners. Well apart from Toto. She
brought her own special food. But
we all thought we had earned the
decorously presented, melt in the
mouth, gastronomic treats that were
delivered to our table.
National Trust Brecon Beacons: Cwm Llwch Horseshoe
Walk Download here http://www.nationaltrust.org.
uk/article-1356404539098/
Felin Fach Grifn http://www.eatdrinksleep.ltd.uk/ :
Multi-award winning dog friendly pub with rooms where
the award winning food and award-winning food is the
ideal way to relax after a walk in the Brecon Beacons
or nearby hills. Tel: 01874 620 111 Email: enquiries@
felinfachgrifn.co.uk

EAT

MONM OUT HSHIRE

6 pages of recipes
and news from
around the county

exclusive Welsh lamb

Club expands its
membership
C

hris Harrod, of the Crown at Whitebrook

is one of five top chefs who have been
granted membership of Hybu Cig Cymru Meat Promotion Wales exclusive Welsh Lamb
Club.
The other new members are Michelinstarred Richard Davies, of The Bybrook,
Wiltshire; Michelin-starred Alyn Williams, of
The Westbury Hotel, London; David Kelman,
of Ellenborough Park, Cheltenham; and Rhodri
Edwards, of Y Ffarmers near Aberystwyth.
They join a host of chefs from across the

UK including Matt Tebutt, of The Foxhunter,

Nantyderry; Bryn Williams of Odettes,
London; Stephen Terry, of The Hardwick,
Abergavenny; and Bryan Webb, of Tyddn Llan,
Corwen.
Launched by the Prince of Wales at Clarence
House, the club has attracted interest from
some of the finest chefs and restaurants in the
country.
Members are committed to sourcing and
serving PGI Welsh Lamb and submit to strict
auditing of their menus.

CHEPSTOW
Max takes over kitchen at CHEF
CROWNED
The Felin Fach Griffin
BRAINS BEST
M
ax Wilson has been appointed as head chef at The Felin
Fach Griffin, near Brecon.
He joins the award-winning pub with rooms from his
position at the two AA Rosette New Yard restaurant on the
Trelowarren estate near Falmouth. He was previously Head
Chef at the St. Martins Hotel in the Scillies and before that
worked in senior roles at Seaham Hall and Hartwell House.
The Felin Fach Griffin (pictured above) has the only Bib
Gourmand in Wales and has been included without break in
the Good Food Guide, Hardens and the Good Hotel Guide
for more than a decade.
The Griffin is five-time winner (and current holder of) The
Good Pub Guides Dining Pub of the Year in Wales and was
recently one of three Hotels of the Year in the new Alasdair
Sawdays Hotels & Inns Guide. It has also just been announced
as one of two runners up in the Hotel of the Year category
for Sawdays 2014 Awards.
Edmund Inkin, joint owner of EATDRINKSLEEP, which
runs The Griffin as part of its group, said: We ran an
exhaustive process to find the right person to take on the
legacy of some fine chefs who have worked with us at The
Griffin. Max stood head and shoulders above the rest and we
are delighted he has agreed to work with us.

Chepstow pub chef has been

crowned Brains Chef of the Year
2014.
Colin Carter (pictured), head chef
at the Piercefield, St Arvans, produced
a winning three-course menu, beating
five other Brains chefs to take the title.
Colin impressed the judges with
his menu of hot oak smoked pav of
salmon, roast rack of lamb with an
olive and tomato crust, and forest
fruits biscuit glac.
Finalists were presented with a
mystery box and given 30 minutes to
choose ingredients before submitting
their three course menu, which they
were given two hours to produce.
Christine Parker, catering
development manager at Brains, said
The standard of food produced by all

finalists, who were whittled down from 30 to six,

was exceptional. The competition has shown just
how talented the chefs working in our estate are.

Top chef opens family kitchen project

M

onmouthshire chef Stephen Terry officially

opened a new kitchen at an Abergavenny
childrens centre.
He opened the new facility at the Acorn Centre
in the town, which forms part of the FUN (Families
Understanding Nutrition) Kitchen Project.
The centre looks to improve the health,
education and emotional development of young
children and their families and to reduce child

poverty.
And the FUN Kitchen Project is aimed at low
income families, young and single parents, who
can teach budget management and save money
by learning to cook healthy food at low cost. It is
hoped it will improve peoples quality of life by
reducing obesity and improving health.
The centre is based on the Deri View Primary
Schools ground on Llywynu Lane.

Abergavenny firms and organisations helped

with the kitchen, including the town council,
Sainsburys, Waitrose, Cornerstone Church and
Randal Constructions.
While IEF Construction, Philip Good Funeral
House, Alun Griffiths, the P J Jones Food CoOp and Beavan Family Butchers also provided
assistance.

EAT

MONM OUT HSHIRE

let the
sunshine
in

Chefsprofile
Clive Williams

Head Chef, The Parkway Hotel

& Spa, Cwmbran

4
5

1. Tea cosy. 9.50. www.gigglinghedgehogs.co.uk

2. Tea towel. 12. www.jangens.com
3. Bowl. 30. www.berryred.co.uk
4. Mixer. 429. www.cotswoldtrading.com
5. Jar. 12. www.tch.net

How long have you been

a chef and where did you
start?
I started my career at 15
years old and Ive been in the
trade nearly 17 years. My
first job was as an apprentice
at The Woodlands Tavern
in Llanvair Discoed. Then
I moved on to the Celtic
Manor Resort as a Commis
Chef and I left there as a
Chef de Parti. Since then
I have held positions at
hotels and restaurants
within Newport and
Monmouthshire, The Priory,
Cwrt Bleddyn, Foresters
Oaks to name a few, before
coming here to The Parkway
as head chef in 2012.
What makes your
restaurant different from
others in the area?
I believe that the restaurant
at The Parkway offers
the only high-end dining
experience in Torfaen.
We have recently been
awarded an AA Rosette,
and are one of the first in
our area to achieve such an
accomplishment. Focus is put
on seasonality and traditional
dishes which we try to put
a more modern spin onto.
Our honest ingredients
used are treated with care
and sourced correctly to
hopefully reflect on every
plate of food we produce.
Why did you decide to
follow this career path?
To be honest it was never
my plan to become a cook.
I was a pot washer at 15
and was offered the chance
of an apprenticeship which

I took. Food is an infinite

subject, with changing trends
seasonally and annually. That
alone has kept me interested
to this very day. Realising
the possibilities and what
is achievable drives me to
always improve and when
you see the fruits of your
labour receiving positive
feedback from the customer,
there is nothing better.
Who is your foodie hero?
Picking a foodie hero is
difficult. Growing up I
used to watch Keith Floyd
travelling around the world
and educating on all different
types of cuisine. He was a
very accomplished cook
who explained himself in a
way that was very easy to
understand. Today I have to
say the chefs I look up to are
the ones who consistently
hitting the highest levels,
the likes of Daniel Clifford
at Midsummer House
in Cambridge. What he
produces is amazing. Then
you have the more technical
cooks such as Sat Baines
in Nottingham, constantly
pushing boundaries with his
food in a style that is unique.
What do you think about
the way food, restaurants
and chefs are becoming it
in popular culture?
I think the cultures of
food, restaurants and
chefs becoming it are
understandable. For the
customer the choice is
vast. Food has become
increasingly trendier due to
the media.

EAT

MONM OUT HSHIRE

WiNTeR
DeliGHTS
By Hannah Freeman

hristmas is over for another year

and all that wonderful fayre has
been replaced with healthy food for the
New Year.
Healthy food has a reputation for
being boring, but it doesnt have to be
that way.
Admittedly its difficult to get a
rainbow of colour into winter dishes.
However, there is nothing more
splendid than a pile of winter leaves
tossed onto a platter and scattered with
orange segments and pomegranate
seeds with a few chicory leaves and a
mustardy dressing sweetened with a
little honey.
Why not grill a duck breast until
the skin crisps then slice and serve
alongside the salad?
If warming is still the order of the
day, a hearty pottage packed with
leeks, greens, carrots and onions
should definitely be on the menu.
Made in the same way for hundreds
of years, its full to bursting with
vitamins, and you can pep up the
flavour with a little fresh stock made
from some marrowbones (from your
local butcher, of course).
To finish, baked pears make a
delicious pudding peeled and placed
in an ovenproof dish with a small
glass of wine or cider poured over, a
cinnamon stick, some brown sugar and
a vanilla pod, the dish is then wrapped
in greaseproof paper and left to steam
in a medium/high oven for 30-40
minutes. These are excellent served
with thick Turkish yoghurt or even a
scoop of good vanilla ice cream.
In season: leeks, kale, game,
Jerusalem artichokes, oranges, oysters
and mussels.
Why not dine at: The Bell Inn,
Redbook, NP25 4LZ. A lovely
traditional pub with live music (Friday),
real ales and ciders while the bar
menu provides for comforting pub
classics, the restaurant menu is
distinctly gastro-style. Much of the
produce is locally sourced and the
puddings are sensational. 01600
713612
Why not visit: The Potting Shed caf,
Monmouth. Tucked away down an
alley off Agincourt Square is this small
but splendid hidden treasure. Part
mini-garden centre, part caf, the style
is rather eclectic. The usual coffees and
hot chocolate alongside a yummy, yet
select menu. Gluten free cakes available
too. 01600 772299
Why not try? The Preservation
Society. This Chepstow-based awardwinning company makes delicious
chutneys, sauces and jams packed full
of local ingredients. Available at various
local outlets for further info: www.
the-preservation-society.co.uk 01291
626516

Lets eat

o longer content with standard

N
British fare, people are looking
to each corner of the globe for

gastronomic inspiration. Kenwood,

the UKs leading kitchen appliance
expert, has launched its Around
the World in 80 Plates e-booklet
to inspire us to be even more
adventurous with cuisine.
To choose the best dishes from
around the world, Kenwood
selected a panel of six food experts
to provide insight from their
respective corners of the globe
Monmouthshires Matt Tebbutt
with his European expertise, Celia
Brooks with her North American
upbringing, Andy Bates with
his passion for South American
cuisine, Anjum Anand, the Indian
spice guru, Shelina Permalloo
who won over the MasterChef
judges in 2012 with her Mauritian

cooking, and Zoe Anjonyoh, with

her Ghanaian background and
knowledge of African food.
Matt Tebbutt, of The Foxhunter,
Nantyderry, near Abergavenny,
who headed up the panel, said:
Weve seen a rapidly developing
fascination with global food in
the UK youre never far from
grabbing a spice-laden Indian
takeaway or Middle Eastern falafel.
However this doesnt seem
to be translating into the kitchen
our research shows that the
average Brit can only cook four
foreign dishes.
We want to inspire British
cooks to take the challenge and
make these international classics
at home. Thats why weve come
up with this collection of the 80
greatest global culinary creations,
including some of the UKs very

own world-class dishes.

The e-booklet, which contains
recipes, tips and insights from the
panel can be downloaded from
www.kenwoodworld.com/uk.
Here MCL brings you three of
Matt Tebbutts recipes from the
e-booklet...

Chocolate
Brownies
This is long on ingredients but
delivers the most amazing results.
A good brownie must be ber rich
and indulgent and never ever dry!
Go easy on the cooking it must
be gooey and soft in the middle.
This recipe was given to me by
a pastry chef from a fabulous
restaurant in California, which is
sadly no longer there but safe to
say it is the best brownie I have
ever tasted.
Matt Tebbutt
INGREDIENTS:
250g salted butter
350g plain chocolate
20g pure cocoa powder

100g drinking chocolate powder

1 strong espresso
6 free range eggs
250g dark brown sugar
300g caster sugar
120g ground almonds
150g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
200g pecan nuts, chopped
250g raisins or sultanas
100g chocolate chips or plain
chocolate smashed into small
pieces
METHOD:
1) Preheat the oven to 160C
and line a large, deep baking tray
with non-stick baking paper.
2) In a medium glass or metal

bowl, over simmering water, or in

a bain marie, melt the 350g plain
chocolate and butter together.
Stir in the cocoa powder, drinking
chocolate powder, and espresso.
3) Using a kitchen machine, beat
the eggs and both sugars together.
Add the ground almonds, flour,
and baking powder and mix
until just combined, then pour in
the melted chocolate mix. Add
everything else and stir together.
Pour into the baking tray and cook
for 20-25 minutes until set but still
gooey in the middle.
4) Allow to cool and cut into
wedges. Serve with some great ice
cream and more chocolate sauce.

This recipe for Classic

American Cheesecake
with Berry Compote
comes from a native New
Yorker and they know
how to make a good
cheesecake! The best
example Ive ever tasted,
other than this of course,
was from a deli just
off Time Square called
Juniors, but take your
pick from a whole host of
others in this town.
Matt Tebbutt

INGREDIENTS:

New York
Cheesecake

For the base

200g Hobnob biscuits
45g granulated sugar
75g unsalted butter
For the cheesecake
1kg cream cheese
200g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
Half tsp salt
4 free range eggs
Finely grated zest of 1
lemon
For the compote
400g frozen (or fresh)
mixed berries

3 tsp caster sugar

1 split vanilla pod
(optional)
Serves 10 or more

METHOD:

1) Start by making the

base. Smash up the
biscuits in a plastic bag or
break down into
crumbs in a food
processor, then
place in a medium bowl
and combine with
the sugar and melted
butter. Press the
mixture into the base of a
non-stick 23cm
cake tin with a removable
base and chill for
an hour or two to set.
2) Preheat the oven to
150C. In the food
processor, process the
cream cheese
until soft. Add the sugar,
vanilla, salt and
continue to beat for 5
more minutes until
light and creamy. Now
beat in the eggs one
by one until smooth.
Finally beat in the

lemon zest.
3) Pour the batter into
the cake tin and bake
for 1-1 1/2 hours. If it
begins to pick up too
much colour, loosely
cover the top with foil.
It is done when it no
longer wobbles in
the middle.
4) Once cooked, turn the
oven off and open the
door. Leave the
cheesecake to cool in the
oven for an hour or so.
Once completely cool,
cover the cheesecake and
chill in the fridge
overnight to set fully.
Serve the next day.
5) To make the berry
compote, simply warm
the berries with the sugar
and vanilla, if
using, in a medium
saucepan. Taste and
serve alongside a wedge
of the super
delicious cheesecake.

Gravlax with
Rye Bread
The traditional way was burying or curing fish in salt.
It originates from a time when fishermen would dig
their catch into the sand to preserve it for some time,
whilst they went back out to sea. These days weve
dropped the sand and just opt for salt, sugar, herbs
and spices. It is incredibly easy to make at home and
can elevate the most mundane piece of farmed salmon
into something quite beautiful.
INGREDIENTS:
1kg side of fresh salmon, filleted, skin on, pin boned
For the cure
150g granulated sugar
200g coarse sea salt
1 big bunch of dill, cleaned and chopped
A large shot of vodka (150ml)
A few crushed juniper berries, black and pink
peppercorns
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Rye Bread
Ingredients:

350g rye flour

650g strong white bread flour
25g salt
30g caraway seeds
15g fresh yeast
750ml water
GRAVLAX METHOD:
1) In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the cure and
spread generously over and under the fish.
2) Wrap in cling film, then place on a tray which
will fit in the fridge and weigh the salmon down.
Refrigerate and turn every day for three days.
3) Unwrap the salmon and brush down the fish with
a clean cloth or kitchen paper, then slice as thin as you
dare.
4) Serve with sour cream, lemon wedges, a fresh
picked herb salad and rye bread. Or, alternatively,
mix 150g of sweet American mustard with 50-70g
of mayonnaise and 50ml of white wine vinegar. Add
some more chopped dill and serve alongside.

RYE BREAD METHOD:

1) Simply mix all the dry ingredients together in a
bowl. Dissolve the yeast in tepid water and pour
in. Mix together by hand to form a soft dough then
knead for 10-15 minutes, or tip into a kitchen machine
if youre not feeling energetic.
2) Place the dough in a large oiled bowl and cover.
Leave in a warm place and allow to rise for between
1-3 hours, depending upon the temperature of the
room. When the dough has doubled in size, knock it
back for a couple of minutes and shape into a round.
Place on a piece of non-stick baking paper.
3) Preheat the oven to 200C and put in a clean
baking tray to heat up. When the bread is ready to
cook, dust with a scattering of flour and quickly slide
the bread with the paper inside the oven onto the hot
baking tray and cook for ten minutes. At this point
you could throw a cup of cold water onto the oven
floor to create some steam. Turn the heat down to
180C and give the bread another 10-15 minutes until
cooked through. Remove and place on a wire rack
to cool.

FOR ALL THATS GOOD

ABOUT THE COUNTY

IF YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU GET THE NEXT

EDITION, SUBSCRIBE ONLINE AT

www.monmouthshirecountylife.co.uk
TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT EDITION CONTACT
ANDREA HALL ON 01633 777207

Follow us on Facebook
bit.ly/MCLonfacebook

Back to the future is the order of the

day at Celtic Manors new offering
The Grill at Celtic Manor Golf Club, Castash, Newport

know its painfully unfashionable, but I do like my

meat to be cooked. Im not a fan of meat which
looks as if it has barely been introduced to the grill
or frying pan.
Thankfully the modern and, dare I say,
fashionable penchant for pink meat is not taken
for granted at the marvellous new carnivores
delight The Grill at Celtic Manor Golf Club.
Diners are left in little doubt what to expect
at this welcoming new restaurant at the resort.
There are road map posters of the various cuts of
beef on the walls, reminiscent of ones I remember
hanging in the Berkshire butchers shop I used to
help out in as boy on a Saturday many moons ago.
Teenage son Ollie, who opted for the 8oz fillet
steak (34), therefore knew exactly from which
part of the beast his cut came.
Its very much a case of back to the future at The
Grill which, although only recently opened, was a
hive of activity on the Sunday night we dined with
a veritable cross section of people and of all ages
filling the well-planned and extremely-comfortable
space.
Service from the bright, cheerful and friendly
waiting staff is attentive but not overbearing;
knowledgeable but in no way pompous. A nice
touch, for example of this, was the hanging of a
label around the neck of our bottle of fantastic 2013
Faraway Farm Western Cape South African Shiraz
(27) saying, in effect, that we wanted to pour the
wine ourselves.
The Grill, for those who knew it under its

previous incarnation, has been almost completely

transformed. Solid honest-to-goodness polished
timber tables and very welcoming rustic pottery
tableware, purposeful cutlery, crisp white napkins
and sparkling glasses are the new order of the day.
I love being asked which gin I want. We enjoyed
our large Brecon and tonics and the freshly in-house
baked sour dough and crusty brown bread, pat of
delicious butter and sea salt, as we ruminated over
the menu.
I chose the truffle and cauliflower soup of the
day (5.95) and we were back to the future
with a vengence when Jo plumped for the prawn
cocktail (12.50) and Ollies chicken wings (6.95)
coated in house rub and with herb crme fraiche
were gorgeous. Needless to say the prawn cocktail
wasnt at all what you would have expected at
a Seventies dinner party but more a delightfully
deconstructed version; a groaning plateful of
seafood heaven topped with an impressive pair of
succulent gambas.
The aforementioned fillet steak, precisely
medium rare, was pronounced perfect and Jos
sirloin (28), also medium rare, was the kind of
steak you hope for but are more often than not
disappointed. This 28-day aged beauty was a
pinnacle of perfection. My Welsh Lamb rump (22)
ordered cooked as opposed to pink was melt in the
mouth loveliness.
Each main, cooked in the restaurants lava stone
grill, was accompanied by fries and a red onion and
watercress salad. There are side sauces, a speciality

of the restaurant, from while Ollie chose the

piquant green peppercorn (3.50).
Warm treacle tart with Welsh ale ice cream
(6.25) was a brilliantly flavoursome and textured
blast from the past; Artic Roll with praline popcorn
chocolate and Halan Mon sea salted caramel
sauce (6.95) youre getting the theme here
was so entertaining Jo gobbled it all up in a trice
(remember when you left the unappealing sponge
covering and just ate the ice cream at school?) and
Ollies Black Forest sundae (6.50) in totteringly
traditional tall glass was a triumph of the dessert
makers skill and all majestically topped with a stalk
on cherry. Brilliant.
Chef Stuart Spicer, who we chatted to after
enjoying tea and petit fours enveloped in cavernous
leather seats by the fire, is unapologetic in his aim to
target this wonderfully fashionable new restaurant
squarely at steak fans and those looking for a huge
helping of nostalgia.
My view is that each type of food has its place
foams, scientific inspired combinations, jus and
swirls appeal to some while solid steak and chips to
others.
Judging by the hubbub of happiness in the
near-full restaurant on a chilly Sunday evening in
mid-December it wont be long before The Grill
cements its place in the present and looks as if it has
a very healthy future even if it has had to go back in
time to provide eager diners with what they really,
really want from the past.
DB
53

Make your
day a fab one

1. Personalised journal. 22. www.oliverbonas.com. 2. Cake fork set. 28. www.

thecutlerycommission.com. 3. Shoe favour.
2.25. www.azrachocolates.co.uk. 4. Slate
sign. 16.99. www.GettingPersonal.co.uk.
5. Bridesmaid coin. 12. www.kutuu.co.uk.
6. Wedding card, 2
www.etsy.com/shop/katielovespeppa
7. Personalised art. 19.99.
www.yooti.com

7
6

1
2

Real life
WEDDING

We chat to Chris and Kirsty Harrod about their recent

Monmouthshire wedding. Chris is chef/patron at the
Michelin-star The Crown at Whitebrook and Kirsty
works front of house at the restaurant

 Tell us a bit about each of you

C&K: We met each other while working together at
Rhug Estate organic farm in Corwen, Denbighshire,
when I was consultant chef for the owner Lord
Newborough. Kirsty, who grew up in Corwen, was
working as restaurant supervisor at the time. Kirsty has
a six-year-old, Fay.
Where did you have the wedding ceremony and why
did you choose that location?
C&K: We had the ceremony at The Old Parlour, Usk
Register Office. We chose it because it was our local
register office. We didnt want to have a large religious
ceremony. We felt that The Old Parlour suited our
needs.
How did it go?
C&K: It was a fun little ceremony. We tried not to
giggle our way through it.
Where did you have the reception and why did you
choose that location?
C&K: At The Crown at Whitebrook. We choose it as it
is our business we liked the fact that we could have the
reception our way and make use of the great location
that we are so lucky to have on our doorstep.
How did it go?
C&K: It went really well. Our team did an amazing job
and looked after us brilliantly throughout the day, (even
managed to keep Chris out the kitchen). It was also nice
to celebrate with them after the meal at the evening
reception.
Did you have a theme for the wedding? If so, what?
C&K: Not particularly, we wanted to keep it simple,
using natural elements from the Valley. We tried to
bring the outside in, taking inspiration from the autumn
season.

Where did you get the cars, cake, photography and owers
from?
C&K: Photographs were taken by Nanette of Hepburn
photography. We love Nanettes relaxed approach to taking
pictures throughout the day.
The cake was made by Chris and Andy Fellows, the pastry chef
at The Crown.
Flowers were created by Jayne Hill, a friend of Chriss family,
who has also done a fantastic job throughout the year with our
outside terrace.
David, a family friend of Kirsty, very kindly was our chauffeur for
the day in his vintage Jaguar.
What was the best bit of the day?
C&K: It was great to enjoy such a relaxed day with all our family
and friends. We had family and friends from South Africa, Spain,
France and across the UK who we hadnt seen for a long time. It
was really special to have photos taken at Tintern Abbey, a place
we have loved since moving to Whitebrook.
And what about the honeymoon? Was it a surprise and where
did you go?
C&K: We had a couple of days away at a nearby holiday cottage
in Brockweir, a short break before back to work on the Tuesday.

57

Creating the
perfect day,
just for you
Bella Country Weddings is
a family-run business which
prides itself as being one of a
select number of specialists
offering the complete package
to its clients...

he co-ordination involved when organising any event

on a grand scale, especially your own wedding day, can
be both stressful and occasionally even overwhelming.
Thats where Bella Country Weddings comes in.
The firm combines its expertise and experience to deliver
a complete in-house suite of wedding day services.
Packages include: countryside locations; full event planning
services; beautiful marquees; lighting, floor and furniture;
catering choices, drinks options; fully-licensed bar; luxury
toilets; on-the-day co-ordinator and much more.
Instead of the you, the client, having to source and juggle
numerous suppliers, Bella Country Weddings service grants
you the time and breathing space to concentrate on the fun

finer details, like choosing your menu, drinks

packages, wedding attire as well as the theme and
decor for your marquee.
In short, fully enjoying the build up to your
special day!
Bella Country Weddings will guide you through
the entire process, step-by-step, from an initial,
informal consultation right up to, and even
including, your special day.
Bella Country Weddings has exclusive access to
numerous sites which boast beautiful views of the
countryside, situated between the old historical
town of Chepstow in the Wye Valley and the
picturesque settings of the Forest of Dean in
Gloucestershire and many more sites available in
surrounding areas.
It is also able to offer its packages at venues of

your own choosing, including your own

home.
Bella Country Weddings endeavours
wherever possible to go local in all its
packages, including produce, suppliers
and staff.
Contact: 07857 692590
info@bellacountryweddings.co.uk
www.bellacountryweddings.co.uk

59

Hitting the road on

a tour of europe
David Barnes and his family spent two weeks taking in ve countries
on the Continent and discovering the delights of a road trip...

F I stretched as far as I could up over the

barrier and then craned my neck around the
corner, I could just about make out the top
of a huge screen which had been erected in the
large square right in the heart of the romantic
Tuscan town of Lucca as back drop to the Stevie
Wonder concert.
It really wasnt worth the effort. The sound
from the legendary singer was as clear as a bell
where I and the rest of the family and, it must
be said a fair few others, were standing. We
were just a short distance from where Stevie
was performing to a sell out audience that
completely filled the towns piazza.
It had been threatening to rain all day. The
oppressive heat and humidity was intense but
the weather held off for the concert which wed

60

only found out about by pure chance the day

before - but then thats the beauty of a Barnes
family holiday.
No two Barnes summer excursions are ever
quite the same and this road trip to Italy was to
be no exception.
Swayed by similar road trips featured on TV,
the boys arranged our very own to Tuscany and
back. And in the true tradition of the TV road
trips, we also had a target we had to meet.
With the final whistle and German cheers
of the World Cup still ringing in our ears - we
couldnt leave for our holiday until we wed seen
the final - and after just a couple of hours kip
we set off at an unearthly hour from Chepstow,
complete with magnetic GB sticker, fluorescent
jackets, triangle and breath test kit, for our early

Channel Tunnel crossing from Dover to Calais.

The crossing is the most efficient and quickest
way to get to the Continent.
Disembarked and filled up with lovely cheap
French diesel, we were soon across the border
and into Belgium and enjoying an exotic Belgian
meatballs brunch in the historic city of Ghent.
We stopped the night in a splendid Premier
Classe hotel in Liege amid Bastille Day firework
celebrations.
Then it was up bright and early again the next
day which saw us barrelling along the autobahn
through Germany targeting Munich to meet up
with our middle son, who had just spent a few
weeks discovering Europe via rail.
It would appear that summer is the time
local powers in Germany decide to rebuild

Main image: The impressive Duomo

in Florence
Inset: They do rather large, and rather
delicious, ice creams in Florence
Right: On the tourist trail in Pisa
Bottom right: The fantastic Tuscan
farmhouse the Barnes family stayed in
during their trip

their roads or start new ones, so in between spates of

travelling at the speed of sound, we were reduced to a
snails pace for the rest of the time.
But we got there, a bit behind schedule but all in one
piece and looking forward to our evening in the city.
Although in Munich for just a day Matt had already
sussed out the train system, so ditching the car we
caught the tube into the centre.
Heavily bombed during the Second World War,
Munich these days is an eclectic hyper chic mix of ultra
modern and uber cool historic buildings. The churches
and municipal structures are awesome and at the Weisse
Brauhaus bier keller we enjoyed mammoth steins of
frothing local ales and huge hearty plates of food. Its
exactly how wed expected.
Totally rested and now with the full complement of
family members, we set our sights for Austria and then
the Italian border and our Tuscan holiday cottage.
The boys were a little disappointed that there were
no border controls, although there remains evidence of
former sentry buildings at each crossing.
Extremely helpful notes which came with our holiday
booking stressed that those driving to the property were
advised to avoid taking the mountain route but stick to
the main roads.
I dont know quite how we managed it but instead of
what should have been a relatively straightforward drive
to the place wed rented we spent the best part of four
hours driving in and out, up and down, round and about
almost every closed-for-the-season ski resort in the area.
So it was that we arrived at our holiday destination

many hours after wed arranged to

but before darkness fell, which was
a blessing as, I kid you not, the place
was perched on the side of a mountain
amid towering pine trees, forest and
bushes right in the absolute middle of
nowhere and down a terrifying single
track road. Perfect!
As is our wont wed left booking
a place until the last minute and so
chanced upon this most beautiful,
jaw-dropping, three-storey palace of
a place which had never before been
rented out as a holiday let. It had just
come on and we were the first to
have it.
The admittedly-nervous first time
renter Tuscan lady owner with no
English but with her daughter-in-law
Fabiana as interpreter who spoke
absolutely perfect English greeted us
at the door and showed us around the
kind of place your hope for in your
dreams.
The former mountain farmhouse
with metre thick, solid stone walls
had an enormous lounge and kitchen,
then two cavernous quirkily decorated
bedrooms on each of the other two
floors. There was a huge bathroom
and shower on the two upper floors
and a balcony on the first with breath
taking views.
Equipped with wifi, a pool, large
nature filled garden packed to bursting
with fruit trees, herbs and flowers,
butterflies, wild life - a snake wrapped
itself around my naked ankle as he
was out exploring near the house
- and sun terraces, the house, is a
stunner.
The next day dawned bright and
blisteringly hot but the house with
large shuttered windows and tiled
floors was cool and airy. We lounged
around the pool, got our bearings and
filled the kitchen with Italian goodies
from the local shops.
With base secured, we had places
to explore.
So, it was off to Pisa with its famous
leaning tower and packed with al
fresco restaurants and trinket shops.
A climb up the tower is expensive
and you have to book but you cant
not go up. It is a

little challenging for those of

a vertiginous nature, the marble
steps are smooth and slippery but
well worth it for the views and the
sense of achievement and also the
looks on the fearful faces of some
of the other tourists as they ascend
The next day we visited the
beautiful walled city of Lucca where
you can walk, cycle or even it
would seem drive around on top
of the encircling ancient walls. It
was here we got to sneak our live
Steve Wonder experience.
After a rather drizzly day by the
sea, we took the train to Florence.
This time Id taken guidance
from the notes provided which
suggested driving to Lucca leaving
the car at the station and travelling
to the city on a cost effective and
plentiful train.
Good call. The trains, although
not very regular and not
particularly cheap, are double
deckers, very clean, efficient and
fun.
Florence with its Duomo, Ponte
Vecchio and Uffizi Gallery packed
with world renowned history is just
too much for a single day.
The queue for the Duomo
stretched as far as the eye
could see and more. I expect an
organised tourist pre books their
place. Queue all day to get in and
miss the rest of the city or come
back another time?
Decision made, we headed for
a stroll around Florence mentally
booking a return trip and a stay in
one of the citys gorgeous looking
hotels.
The beauty of having a car
on holiday is that you can get up
and go whenever and wherever
you choose. You dont have to
worry about paying for any real
or imagined damage to a car thats
been hired. You dont have to clear
out the thing out at the end and
give it a wash and are not stung by
that blasted full to full fuel rip off
carry on either.

Every trip out from our

wonderful house was a challenge
which, added to remembering to
drive on the wrong side of the
road, was a new thrill each time.
Roads outside major towns and
cities are barely lit, which at times
is just as well as the drops over the
side are perilous. Locals appear
to consider the indicator as an
optional extra and motorcyclists
of all persuasions, and there are
hoards of them, are mad.
After a week in the lovely
Tuscan farmhouse it was time to
start wending our way back to the
Channel.
We had planned on stopping
in Turin before crossing the
border, via the Mont Blanc Tunnel,
but torrential rain of Biblical
proportions made driving tricky
to say the least. So we decided to
plough on for France.
Stung by at least four hefty
motorway toll charges leading up
the tunnel the final 43 euros for
the Mont Blanc passage left a sour
taste in the mouth as we said ciao
to Italy and bonjour France.
We had no hotels booked for
this part of the journey so it really
as a case of choosing somewhere
to head to and then taking pot luck
on where we could stay.
Chambery saw us booking into
two rooms at an Ibis in an iffy part
of the town next to a motorbike
shop and across the road from a
Japanese restaurant.
But the following day we
stumbled across the Roman
fortress city of Autan where we
stayed in a two-star hotel opposite
the railway station and, it would
seem, bang alongside the main
HGV route in and out of town. The
next morning after a brief look
at some archaeologists digging at
Roman ruins, we headed further
into France for our final night.
Now, I hadnt heard of the
place before but it would appear
that Alencon is the first and last

Top: Munich
Bottom: The very moving American
war cemetary close to Omaha Beach in
Normandy

Fact file:
Eurotunnel: www.eurotunnel.com
Brittany Ferries: www.brittany-ferries.co.uk

The Barnes family rented their holiday

home through www.tuscan-retreats.co.uk

stop for many a UK traveller in France. All budget hotel

rooms in the place, including an auberge and some dodgy
places by the train station, were fully booked by the time
we arrived so we had to accept the ignominy of paying a
wallet busting 200 for two rooms at the Campanille.
The rooms were lovely clean, quiet and spacious but
as wed arrived late and the restaurant was closed and
after taking a wrong turn on the motorway our intended
evening meal at the Buffalo Grill also went west as by the
time wed found the place it too was closed.
The next day we cruised through various villages and
towns and ooed at Loire Valley chataeux before reaching
a key point on our journey, a trip to the Normandy D
Day beaches and the American military cemetary near
Omaha Beach.
We filled up to more lovely cheap French diesel before
catching the brilliantly comfortable, spacious and quite
empty fast Brittany ferry from Cherburg to Portsmouth,
then homeward bound to Chepstow with marvellous
memories of our road trip and the masterful Stevie
Wonders Superstition playing on in my head.

Countyeducation
Picking the right school for your child
can be daunting. This section brings
you some ideas of the places
locally you could choose...

outandabout

Out

CHRISTMAS FAIR

St Pierre, A Marriott Hotel and Country Club, hosted its third Christmas
fair in aid of St Davids Hospice Care. Crowds enjoyed a whole host of stalls,
entertainment from various music groups and the youngsters got to meet
Father Christmas.

and about

Catch up on events from around

Monmouthshire as we take a look
at whos been out and about

Anne Reid, Undy Yarn Crafts

Dolly Kakad, Suzie Anderson, Sue

Gilbert

Jolene Wallis and Anita Wallis

Joy Ryan and Ann Gwilliam

David Parton, Chloe OBrien, Jay

Malpas

Anna Meadon, of aabe creative

66

Book launch at the bell at skenfrith

Local author Tom Vaughan held

a launch evening for his first
novel The Other Side of Loss.
The event was held at The Bell
at Skenfrith. Tom is very much
a local and his family has lived
in and around Monmouthshire/
Herefordshire for hundreds of
years.

Digby Beatson-Hird, Sarah Clay, Hugh Beatson-Hird

David and Victoria Jenkins

Douglas Smith, Nikki Smith, Sarah Clay

Richard Vaughan, Rosamund Vaughan, Elizabeth Read

Broo Doherty, Claire Dickenson, Clive Dickenson, Fiona Thornton

Jesse Norman MP, Tom Vaughan, Sarah

Vaughan

Priscilla Barlow, Karen Jonsson

Jonathan Beatson-Hird,
Lennart Jonsson

Tara Vaughan, Jayne Overton, Stephen Overton

67

Paul Fosh charity lunch

ARCTIC ice ultra-marathon man Paul

Fosh was given a lot to think about
after inviting Wales wonder woman
Lowri Morgan to talk at a charity
fund-raising lunch and auction. Paul,
managing director of Newport-based
Paul Fosh Auctions, is competing
in the Likeys 6633 Ultra Marathon
in March next year. The auctioneer
has set his sights raising 15,000
for Macmillan Cancer Support. The
charity lunch and auction raised a total
somewhere in excess of 4,500.
Lowri Morgan, who is a presenter on
ITV and S4C, was the only person to
complete the Likeys Ultra 6633 event
when she entered in 2011, was the
guest speaker at the charity event at
the SWALEC Stadium, Cardiff.

Paul Fosh

Katy Mortimer, from JLL, Heather Lawrence from JLL, Sarah Clewett from
Berry Smith LLP, Martin Pursell from Berry Smith LLP, Keri Harding-Jones and
Matthew Jones from Fletcher Morgan

Steve Sage from Sage & Co, Les Warren from

Westwood Property, Chris Davies from Ruben
Lewis OBrien, and Rhys Warren from Ruben
Lewis OBrien
Katie Darlow and Lauren Cubitt,
right, both from Roberts & Co

Sean ONeill from Rosdale

Investments, Lorraine
Oates from Merthyr Valleys
Homes, and Justin White
from AMG

Jeanne Fry-Thomas, left, and

Joseph Wright, right, both from
Bidmead Cook & Fry Thomas

HSJ Accountants table

John Reid, from Centric Recruitment, Alan Coles, ACT Plumbers Ltd, Jo
Barnes, from MCL, and Noel Davies, from Pop Box Media

Sandra McAlister, Leanne Owen, Gemma Davies, and Ellen Mort, guests
of HSJ

Sue Like, from Likeys Ltd, Paul Fosh, guest speaker Lowri Morgan, and Martin Like
from Likeys Ltd

county
homes

Turn over for 12

pages of property
and design ideas for
your home...

lampshade. 40.
www.christopherdaniel.co.uk

Clock. 74.
www.artisanti.com

ITS HIP TO

BE SQUARE

When it comes to stylish homes,

square is cool, as we found out
during our research...

Creat cushion. 79.

Homes of elegance,
Abergavenny

Cushion. 90.
www.fermoie.com

Chair. From 890. www.natuzzi.co.uk

Storage unit. 549.

www.made.com

Wire basket. 7.95. www.

onebrowncow.co.uk

10
8

Table lamp. TBC.

www.bakerfurniture.
com

Coffee table. 295. www.

alexanderandpearl.co.uk

11

lamp table. 950.

Homes of elegance,
Abergavenny

Set of trunks. 200. www.

alexanderandpearl.co.uk

Preparations for Arctic trek

put me the media spotlight
I

t seems of late Ive had more

than my fair share of attention. It
may have something to do with
my entering, and ongoing training
for, the Likeys 6633 Ultra Artic
Marathon 2015
As regular readers of this
column will know, I have signed up
for what is reputedly the toughest
race on the planet.
I am one of just 20 or so people
taking part in the challenge this
time which will see me cover at
least 120 miles in the Yukon,
northern Canada almost entirely
within the Arctic Circle pulling all
the equipment I need on a sled, or
pulk.
I am aiming to raise 15,000 for
Macmillan Cancer Support through
my efforts. To become a sponsor
please email paul@paulfoshauctions.
com and also take a look at
www.6633ultra.com .
If I successfully complete the 120mile challenge then I will have to
decide whether I am able to push
on to try for the 350-mile distance.
My main sponsors are Quality
Solicitors Rubin Lewis OBrien, HSJ
Accountants, Paul Fosh Auctions,
Auction Finance and Rightmove

Monnow Street isnt quite the Arctic

through their Agents Giving

charity.
Youll also know that I have
been training using Cornish
pasties. Well, to be more precise,
using a huge fridge at Peter
Williams Pasty Heaven shop, in
the Oldway Centre, Monmouth,
in which to do some ultra-cold
acclimatisation training.
That story has gained quite a
lot of media coverage, which is
probably why people are looking
slightly askance at me as I go
about my training in and around
Monmouth these days. How are
the pasties the merry people
call and cold enough for you
Paul others chant while some,
bewildered by my curious mix of
walk and trot, urge me to get a
move on.
The coverage on ITV Wales
Paul, in full kit, is interviewed by a TV reporter
was very welcome, even if I
did look a bit of a nit hauling my
Auctions team, on Homes Under
of the sacred ground. In the
pulk, in full Arctic clothing, down
the Hammer in recent weeks.
end it was a bit of a damp squib,
Monnow Street and over the
There was mounting excitement
in terms of an event, as we were
historic bridge for the cameras.
in the auction room recently
instructed to accept an offer on
Wherere your huskies? was one
resulting from the
the 220 acres including the former
pithy Monmothian
much trailed and
quarry just prior to the auction to a
comment! Even BBC
eagerly anticipated
Monmouthshire buyer for near-on
Radio Wales seemed
sale of a quarry at
twice the guide price of 45,000.
keen to have me on
Trefil, not far from
So all things being considered
the Eleri Sion chat
Abergavenny. The
its just as well Sean passed up on
show programme
said location was
the suggestion to appear at the
to discuss weighty
where an episode of
auction dressed as Dr Who or even
subjects such as Love
Dr Who was filmed
a Cyber Man. The sale was once
Hearts and dog poo!
while he cavorted
more being filmed by our friends at
Well, its all for
with the Oods. It was
Homes Under the Hammer and it
a very good cause,
home to scenes from
would most certainly have increased
I keep reminding
cult The Hitchhikers
his celebrity status had he done so.
myself and also that
Guide to the Galaxy and
The next Paul Fosh auction
its not long to go
Hollywood A lister Liam
which will be held at the Park Inn
now before the off.
Neesons Wrath of the
Hotel, Circle Way East, Llanedyrn,
Paul Fosh
Gulp. So bearing
Gods,
was filmed.
Cardiff, is on Thursday, February
in mind what I have been through
I cant be sure but there was
12, starting at 5pm.
so far and what lies ahead please
a distinct whiff of Whovians (Dr
Until the next time Happy New
consider giving me your support.
Who fans for the uninitiated) in
Year, bon apetit and au revoir!
Taking about celebrity, ha ha,
the room on the night of the sale,
quite a few people have seen me
perhaps eager to see who was
www.paulfoshauctions.com
and also my right hand man, Sean
going to become the new owner
Roper and the rest of the Paul Fosh

81

A look BACk
iN TiMe...

Hidden
gems
By Naylor Firth

ur county is an
anomaly! Our
existing boundaries
tell us we now live in
Monmouthshire again after a
flirtation (which only lasted
22 years) with becoming a
part of Gwent, which itself
had evolved by amalgamating
the original Monmouthshire
with Newport. Any clearer?
After the Romans left
Britain in the mid fifth
century, the Anglo-Saxon
communities gradually
formed themselves into
conveniently-sized chunks
called shires based on
existing powerful units under
a royally appointed official
called a sheriff.
Following the Conquest in
1066, the Normans imposed
their own system with
counties administered by
their equivalent of a sherriff,
a count.
The count name didnt
stick, but the county name
did and so Britain was left
with a fabric of shires and
counties, each one with a
sheriff.
This piecemeal
arrangement resulted in
numerous examples where
parcels of land belonging to
other counties and shires
found themselves located in a
neighbouring one.
One of the best examples
was the location of the
sizeable Flint Detached in
Shropshire, which existed
for nearly 450 years until
the 1974 Local Government
reorganisation.
Old maps of
Monmouthshire showed that
our county too had examples
of both land belonging to
adjacent counties located
within our boundaries
and land belonging to
Monmouthshire located

82

in another countys
boundaries.
William Camdens 1610
map of Monmouthshire
shows an area to the west of
the Llanthony Valley (which
he called The Fothock)
belonging to Herefordshire.
The correct Welsh spelling
is Ffwddog and this hamlet
with a land area barely six
miles by a half a mile was not
taken into Monmouthshire
until 1893. The enclave also
included another very small
area called Bwlch Trewyn
which was transferred to
Monmouthshire in an Act
of1844.
Camdens map conversely
shows an enclave of
Monmouthshire tucked into
a bend north of the River
Wye at Welsh Bicknor in
Herefordshire. This parcel
was also transferred in 1844
to Herefordshire.
John Carys 1787 map
of Monmouthshire shows
a further example where a
small area of just over three
acres north of Devauden
called Crooked Billet was
labelled as being part of
Herefordshire. How this
relic came about is a puzzle
but it was transferred into
Monmouthshire in the 1844
Act.
An excellent review,
with many illustrations, of
Monmouthshires historic
maps can be found in DPM
Michaels The Mapping of
Monmouthshire published
in 1985 by Regional
Publications (Bristol) Ltd.
ISBN 0 906570 18 2.

Left: Seargents
the printers were
at one time the
largest printers in
Abergavenny. This
undated picture is
from Abergavenny
Through Time by
Irena Morgan.
Below: Caldicot
village from the
church tower in
1957. From Caldicot
and the Villages of
the Moor in old
photographs Vol 1
by Malcolm D Jones.

Right: An outing about to leave

from outside The Kings Head,
Welsh Street, Chepstow. From
Chepstow and the River Wye
in old photographs from the
collections of Chepstow Museum.
Below: Magor Square c1900.
From Caldicot and the Villages
of the Moor Vol 2 by Richard D
Jones